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23  Wft»T;.:>,rvSTIIIIT 

WIBSTH.N.y.  MSIO 

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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


A 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


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D 


n 


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Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  coule^ir 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommagde 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
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mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
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modification  dans  la  methods  normale  de  filmage 
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I      I   Coloured  pages/ 


D 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmA  au  taux  de  rMuction  indiqu4  ci-dessous. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


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I      I  Includes  supplementary  material/ 

I — I  Only  edition  available/ 


Tl 
to 


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ensure  the  best  possible  Image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
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obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


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Th«  copy  filmed  h«r«  hat  b««n  raproducad  thanks 
to  tha  ganarosity  of: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 


L'axamplaira  f  ilmA  f  ut  raproduit  orica  i  la 
gAnArositA  da: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 


Tha  imagas  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
posslbia  consldaring  tha  condition  and  lagibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacifications. 


Original  copias  in  printad  papar  covars  ara  filmad 
beginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  last  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impras- 
sion.  or  tha  back  covar  whan  appropriata.  All 
othar  original  copias  ara  filmad  beginning  on  tha 
first  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impras- 
sion.  and  anding  on  tha  last  paga  with  a  printad 
or  illustratad  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  eech  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  ^^-  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "ENO "I, 
whichever  applies. 

IMaps,  plates,  charts,  etc..  mey  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  imagas  sulvantas  ont  Ati  reproduites  avac  la 
plus  grand  soin.  compta  tanii  de  la  condition  at 
de  la  nattet*  da  I'axemplaira  film*,  et  en 
conformit*  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exempleires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimAe  sont  filmAs  en  commen9ant 
par  la  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
darniire  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'iilustration.  soit  par  la  second 
plat,  salon  la  caa.  Tous  las  autres  exempleires 
originaux  sont  filmis  en  commen^ant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'iilustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  darnlAre  pege  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivents  apparaitra  sur  la 
darniire  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  seion  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — »-  signifie  "A  SUIVRE".  ie 
symbols  Y  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
film«s  A  des  taux  de  r«duction  diff«rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atro 
raproduit  en  un  seul  clichA,  il  est  film*  A  partir 
da  i'angle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenent  le  nombre 
d'images  ntcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
iilustrent  ia  methods. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

6 

6 

I 


I 


THE  ADVENTURES 


or 


CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


BY 


WASHINGTON   IRVING. 


NEW  YORK: 
JAMES  B.  MILLAR  &  CO.,  PUBLISHERS. 

1884. 


THOW'8 
PNINTINQ  *ND  BOOKBINDINQ  COMPANY. 


MW  YOHli. 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTICE. 


While  engaged  in  writing  an  account  of  the  grand  enter- 
prise of  Astoria,  it  was  my  practice  to  seek  all  kinds  of  oral 
information  connected  with  the  subject.  Nowhere  did  I  pick 
up  more  interesting  particulars  than  at  the  table  of  Mr.  John 
Jacob  Astor,  who,  being  the  patriarch  'A  the  fur  trade  in  the 
United  States,  was  accustomed  to  have  at  his  board  various 
persons  of  adventurous  turn,  some  of  whom  had  been  engaged 
in  his  own  great  undertaking ;  others,  on  their  own  account, 
had  made  expeditions  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  waters 
of  the  Columbia. 

Among  these  personages,  one  who  peculiarly  toolf  my  fancy 
was  Captain  Bonneville,  of  the  United  States  array ;  who,  in  a 
rambling  kind  of  enterprise,  had  strangely  ingrafted  the  trap- 
per and  hunter  upon  the  soldier.  As  his  expeditions  and  ad- 
ventures will  form  the  leading  theme  of  the  following  pages,  a 
few  biographical  particulars  concerning  him  may  not  be  unac- 
ceptable. 

Captain  Bonneville  is  of  French  parentage.  His  father  was 
a  worthy  old  emigi*ant,  who  came  to  this  country  many  years 
since,  and  took  up  his  abode  in  New  York.  He  is  reprcHented 
as  a  man  not  much  calculated  for  the  sordid  struggle  of  a 
money-making  world,  but  possessed  of  a  happy  temperament, 
a  festivity  of  imagination,  and  a  simplicity  of  heart  that  made 
him  proof  against  its  rubs  and  trials.  Ho  was  an  excellent 
scholar ;  well  acquainted  with  Latin  and  Greek,  and  fond  of 
the  modem  classics.  His  book  was  his  elysiuni;  once  im- 
mersed in  the  pages  of  Voltaire,  Cornoille,  or  Racine,  or  of  his 
favorite  English  author,  Shakspeare,  he  forgot  the  world  and 
all  its  concerns.  Often  would  he  be  seen,  in  summer  weather, 
seated  under  one  of  the  trees  on  the  Battery,  or  the  portico  of 
St.  Paul's  Church  in  Broadway,  his  bnld  head  uncovered,  his 
hat  lying  by  his  side,  his  eyes  riveted  to  the  page  of  his  book. 


►^  *•■  f. 


7 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTICE. 


and  his  whole  soul  so  ongapjed  as  to  lose  all  consciousness  of  the 
passing  throng  or  the  passing  hour. 

Captain  Bonneville,  it  will  be  found,  inherited  something  of 
his  father's  bonhomie,  and  his  excitable  imagination ;  though 
the  latter  was  somewhat  disciplined  in  early  years  by  mathe- 
matical studies.  He  was  educated  at  our  national  Military 
Academy  at  West  Point,  where  he  acquitted  himself  very 
creditably ;  thence,  he  entered  the  army,  in  which  he  has  ever 
since  continued. 

The  nature  of  our  military  service  took  him  to  the  frontier, 
where,  for  a  number  of  years  he  was  stationed  at  various 
posts  in  the  Far  West.  Here  he  was  brought  into  f  re(j[uent 
intercourse  with  Indian  traders,  mountain  trappers,  and  other 
pioneers  of  the  wilderness;  and  became  so  excited  by  their 
tales  of  wild  scenes  and  wild  adventures,  and  their  accounts  of 
vast  and  magnificent  regions  as  yet  unexplored,  that  an  expe- 
dition to  the  Rocky  Mountains  became  the  ardent  desire  of  his 
heart,  and  an  enterprise  to  explore  untrodden  tracts,  the  lead- 
ing object  of  his  ambition. 

By  degrees  he  shaped  his  vague  day-dream  into  a  practical 
reality.  Having  made  himself  acquainted  with  all  the  requi- 
sites for  a  trading  enterprise  beyond  the  mountains,  he  deter- 
mined to  undertake  it.  A  leave  of  absence  and  a  sanction  of 
his  expedition  was  obtained  from  the  major  general  in  chief, 
on  his  offering  to  combine  public  utility  with  his  private  pro- 
jects, and  to  collect  statistical  information  for  the  War  De- 
partment concerning  the  wild  countries  and  wild  tribes  he 
might  visit  in  the  coui'se  of  his  jounieyings. 

Nothing  now  was  wanting  to  the  darhng  project  of  the  cap- 
tain but  the  ways  and  means.  The  expedition  would  requii-e 
an  outfit  of  many  thousand  dollars;  a  staggering  obstacle  to 
a  soldier,  whose  capital  is  seldom  anything  more  than  his 
swoixi.  Full  of  that  buoyant  hope,  however,  which  belongs  to 
the  sanguine  temperament,  he  repaired  to  New  York,  the 
great  focus  of  American  enterprise,  where  there  are  always 
funds  ready  for  any  scheme,  however  chimerical  or  romantic. 
Here  he  had  the  good  fortune  to  meet  with  a  gentleman  of 
high  respectabiUty  and  influence,  who  had  been  his  associate 
in  boyhood,  and  who  cherislied  a  schoolfellow  fiiendship  for 
him.  He  took  a  general  interest  in  the  scheme  of  the  cai)tain ; 
introduced  him  to  commercial  men  of  his  acquaintance,  and  in 
a  little  while  an  association  was  formed,  and  the  necessary 
funds  were  raised  to  carry  the  proposed  measure  into  effect. 


IHTROD  ucron r  isotice. 


•y 


One  of  the  most  efficient  persons  in  this  association  was  Mr. 
Alfred  Seton,  who,  when  quite  a  youth,  had  accompanied  one 
t)f  the  expeditit»ns  sent  out  by  Mr.  Astor  to  his  commercial  es- 
tablishments on  the  Columbia,  and  had  distinguished  himself 
by  his  activity  and  courage  at  one  of  the  interior  posts.  Mr. 
Seton  was  one  of  the  American  youths  who  were  at  Astoria  at 
the  time  of  its  surrender  to  the  British,  and  who  manifested 
such  grief  and  indignation  at  seeing  the  flag  of  their  country 
hauled  down.  The  hope  of  seeing  that  flag  once  more  planted 
on  the  shores  of  the  Columbia  may  have  entered  into  his  mo- 
tives for  engaging  in  the  present  entei'prise. 

Thus  backed  and  provided,  Captain  Bonneville  undertook 
his  expedition  into  the  Far  West,  and  was  soon  beyond  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  Year  after  year  elapsed  without  his  re- 
turn. The  term  of  his  leave  of  absence  expired,  yet  no  re- 
port was  made  of  him  at  headquarters  at  Washington.  He 
was  considered  virtually  dead  or  lost,  and  his  name  was 
stricken  from  the  army  list. 

It  was  in  the  autumn  of  1835,  at  the  country  seat  of  Mr. 
Jolm  Jacob  Astor,  at  Ilellgate,  that  I  firet  met  with  Captain 
Bonneville.  He  was  then  just  returned  from  a  residence  of 
upward  of  three  years  among  the  mountains,  and  was  on  his 
way  to  report  himself  at  headquarter,  in  the  hopes  of  being 
reinstated  in  the  service.  From  all  that  I  could  leani,  his 
wanderings  in  the  wilderness,  tiiough  they  had  gratifled  his 
curiosity  and  his  love  of  adventure,  had  not  much  benefited 
his  fortunes.  Like  Corporal  Trim  in  his  campaigns,  he  had 
"satisfied  the  sentiment,"  and  that  was  all.  In  fact,  he  was 
too  much  of  the  frank,  freehearted  soldier,  and  had  inherited 
too  much  of  his  father's  temperament,  to  make  a  scheming 
trapper,  or  a  thrifty  bargainer.  Tliere  was  something  in  the 
whole  appearance  of  the  captain  that  prepossessed  me  in  liis 
favor.  He  was  of  the  middle  size,  well  made  and  well  set ;  and 
a  mihtary  frock  of  foreign  cut,  that  had  seen  service,  gave 
him  a  look  of  compactness.  His  countenance  was  frank,  open, 
and  engaging;  well  browned  by  the  sun,  and  had  something  of 
a  French  expression.  He  had  a  pleasant  black  eye,  a  high  fore- 
head, and,  while  he  kept  his  hat  on,  the  look  of  a  man  in  the 
jocimd  prime  of  his  days ;  but  the  moment  his  head  was  un- 
covered, a  bald  crown  gained  him  credit  for  a  few  more  years 
than  he  was  really  entitled  to. 

Being  extremely  curious,  at  the  time.  abo\it  everything  con- 
nected with  the  Far  West,  I  addressed  numerous  questions  to 


c 


IM'ROD  UCTOU  Y  NO  TICE. 


him.  They  drew  from  him  a  number  of  extremely  striking  de- 
tails, wliich  were  given  with  mingled  modesty  and  frankness ; 
and  in  a  gentleness  of  manner,  and  a  soft  tone  of  voice,  contrast* 
ing  singularly  with  the  wild  and  often  startling  nature  of  his 
themes.  It  was  difficult  to  conceive  the  mild,  quiet-looking 
personage  before  you,  the  actual  hero  of  the  stii-ring  scenes 
related. 

In  the  course  of  three  or  four  months,  happening  to  be  at  the 
city  of  Washington,  I  again  came  upon  the  captain,  who  was 
attending  the  slow  adjustment  of  his  affairs  with  the  War  De- 
partment. I  found  him  quartered  with  a  worthy  brother  in 
arms,  a  major  in  the  army.  Here  he  was  writing  at  a  table, 
covered  with  maps  and  papei*s,  in  the  centre  of  a  large  bar- 
rack room,  fancifully  decorated  with  Indian  arms,  and  tro- 
phies, and  war  dresses,  and  the  skins  of  various  wild  animals, 
and  hung  round  with  pictures  of  Indian  games  and  ceremonies, 
and  scenes  of  war  and  hunting.  In  a  word,  the  captain  was 
beguiling  the  tediousness  of  attendance  at  court  by  an  attempt 
at  authorship ;  and  was  rewriting  and  extending  his  travelling 
notes,  and  making  maps  of  the  regions  he  had  explored.  As 
he  sat  at  ^^'  table,  in  this  curious  apartment,  with  his  high 
bald  head  omewhat  foreign  cast,  he  reminded  me  of  some 
of  those  antKiue  pictures  of  authors  that  I  have  seen  in  old 
Spanish  vohunes. 

The  result  of  his  labors  was  a  mass  of  manuscript,  which  he 
subsequently  put  at  my  disposal,  to  fit  it  for  publication  and 
bring  it  before  the  world.  I  found  it  full  of  interesting  details 
of  life  among  the  mountains,  and  of  the  singular  castes  and 
races,  both  white  men  and  red  men,  among  whom  ho  had 
sojourned.  It  bore,  too,  throughout,  the  impress  of  his  charac- 
ter, liis  bonhomie,  his  kindliness  of  spirit,  and  his  susceptibihty 
to  the  grand  and  beautiful. 

That  manuscript  has  formed  the  staple  of  the  following 
work.  I  have  occasionally  interwoven  facts  and  details, 
',:!:athered  from  various  sources,  especially  from  the  conversa- 
tions and  journals  of  some  of  the  captain's  contemporaries, 
who  were  actors  in  the  scenes  he  describes.  I  have  also  given 
it  a  tone  and  coloring  drawn  from  my  own  observation  during 
an  excursion  into  the  Indian  country  beyond  the  bounds  of 
civilization ;  as  I  before  observed,  however,  the  work  is  sub- 
stantially the  narrative  of  the  worthy  captain,  and  many  of 
its  most  grapliic  passages  are  but  little  varied  from  his  own 
language. 


i:<rii()i)UCTonT  notice.  7 

I  !  hall  conclude  this  notice  by  a  dedication  whicTi  he  had 
inado  of  his  manuscript  to  his  hospitable  brother  in  arms,  in 
wliose  quartei-s  I  found  him  occupied  in  his  Uterary  labors;  it 
is  a  dedication  which,  I  believe,  possesses  the  qualities,  not 
always  found  in  complimentary  documents  of  the  kind,  of 
being  sincere,  and  being  merited. 


TO 

JAMES  HARVEY   HOOK. 

HAJOR,  U.  8.  ▲., 

WHOSE  JEALOUSY  OP   ITS  HONOR, 

WHOSE    ANXIETY     FOB     ITS     INTERESTS, 

AND 

WHOSE   SENSIBILITY  FOR  ITS  WANTS, 

HAVE  ENDEARED   HIM  TO  THE  SERVICE  AS 

STj^e  Sol&icr's  fftitnti\ 

AND  WHOSE  OENEIUL  AHENITT,  CONSTANT  CHEERFDLMKM, 

DISINTERESTED   HOSPITALITY,   AND  UNWEARIED 

BENEVOLENCE,   ENTITLE  HIM  TO  THB 

STILL  LOFTIER  TITLE  OF 

THE    FRIEND    OF    MAN, 

THIS  WORK   IS  INSCBIBED, 
ETC. 


New  York,  1843. 


ADVENTURES  oF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


CONTENTS. 


tMTRODUCTORY  NOTIOB   ..•• 


PAOB 

..      8 


CHAPTER  I. 

State  of  the  Fur  Trade  of  the  Rocky  Mountains— Am-^rican  enterprise— General 
Ashley  and  his  associatea— Sublette,  a  famous  leader  —  yearly  rendezvous 
among  the  mountains— stratagems  and  dangers  of  the  trade— bands  of  trap- 
pers—Indian banditti— Crows  and  Blackfeet—Mountaiueers— traders  of  the 
Far  West— character  and  habits  of  the  trapper 


1) 


CHAPTER  n. 

Departure  from  Fort  Osage— modes  of  transportation— pack-horses— wagons- 
Walker  and  Cerr6— their  characters— buoyant  feelings  on  launching  upon  the 
Prairies— wild  equipments  of  the  trappers— their  gambols  and  antics— diflfer- 
ence  of  character  between  the  American  and  French  trappers— Agency  of  the 
Kansas— General  Clarke— White  Plume,  the  Indian  chief— night  scene  in  a 
trader's  camp— colloquy  between  Wlilte  Plutne  and  the  captain— bee-hunters 
—their  expeditions— their  feuds  with  the  Indians— bargaining  talent  of  White 
Plume 24 


CHAPTER  m. 

Wide  Prairies— vegetable  productions —tabular  hills— slabs  of  sandstone- 
Nebraska,  or  Platte  River— scanty  fare— buffalo  skulls— wagons  turned  into 
boats— herds  of  buffalo— cliflfs  resembling  castles— The  Chimney— Scott's 
Bluffs- story  connected  with  them— the  Bighorn  or  Ahsahta— its  nature  and 
habits— difference  between  that  and  the  "Woolly  Sheep,"  or  Goat  of  .the 
Mountains 


31 


CHAPTER  IV. 

An  alarm— Crow  Indians— their  appearances— mode  of  approach— their  venge- 
ful errand— their  curiosity— hostility  between  the  Crows  aud  Blackfeet— lov- 


10 


CONTENTS. 


PAOK 

ing  conduct  of  the  Crows— Larmle'a  Fork— first  navigation  of  the  Nebraska — 
Great  elevation  of  t'ci  country— rarity  of  tlie  atniospliere— its  eu'ect  on  the 
woodwork  of  wagons — Black  Hills — their  wild  and  broken  scenery — Indian 
dogs— Crow  trophies— sterile  and  dreary  country— banks  of  the  Sweet  Water 
— bulf  alo  hunting— adventure  of  Tom  Cain,  the  Irish  cook 36 


CHAPTER  V. 

Magnificent  scenery— Wind  River  Mountains— treasury  of  waters— a  stray  horse 
— an  Indian  trail— trout  streams— the  great  Green  River  valley— an  alarm— a 
baud  of  trappers— Foutenelle— his  information— sufferings  of  thirst— encamp- 
ment on  the  Seeds-Ke-Dee— strategy  of  rival  traders — fortification  of  the  camp 
—the  Blackfeet— banditti  of  the  mountains— their  character  and  habits 44 


CHAPTER  VI, 

Sublette  and  his  band— Robert  Campbell— Mr.  Wyeth  and  a  band  of  "Down- 
Easters"— Yankee  enterprise— Fitzpatrick— his  adventure  with  the  Blackfeet 
—a  rendezvous  of  mountaineers— the  battle  of  Pierre's  Hole— an  Indian  am- 
buscade—Sublette's  retm-n SI 


CHAPTER  Vn. 

Retreat  of  the  Blackfeet— Fontenelle's  camp  In  danger— Captain  Bonneville  and 
the  Blackfeet  —  free  trappers  —  their  character,  habits,  dress,  equipments, 
horses— game  fellows  of  the  mountains  -their  visit  to  the  camp— gtwd  fellow- 
ship and  good  cheer— a  carouse— a  swagger,  a  brawl,  and  a  reconciliation.  ...    61 


CHAPTER  VIH. 

Plans  for  the  winter— Salmon  River— abundance  of  salmon  west  of  the  moun- 
tains—new arrangements  — caches— Cerr6's  detachment— movement  in  Fon- 
tenelle's camp— departure  of  the  Blackfeet— their  fortunes— Wind  (Mountain 
streams— Buckeye,  the  Delaware  hunter,  and  the  grizzly  bear— bones  of  mur- 
dered travellers— visit  to  Pierre's  Hole—traces  of  the  battle— Nez  Perc6s  In- 
dians—arrival at  Salmon  River 68 


CHAl^ER  IX. 

Horses  turned  loose  — preparations  for  winter  quarters— hungry  times— Nez 
Perci?s.  their  honesty,  pi'^tv,  pacific  habits,  religious  ceremonies— Captain  Bon- 
neville's conversations  with  them— their  love  of  gambling 71 


CHAPTER  X. 

Blackfeet  In  the  horse  prairie— search  after  the  hunters— difficulties  and  dangers 
— a  card  party  in  tiie  wilderness— the  card  party  interrupted— "  Old  Sledge"  a 
losing  game— visitors  to  the  camp— Iroipiois  hunters— hanging-eared  Indians..    75 


CHAPTER  XT. 

Rival  trapping  parties -Man(ieuverlng— a desperatepame— Vanderburgh  and  the 
Blackfeet— deserted  camp— fire— a  dark  defile— an  Indian  ambush— «  fierce 


CONTENTS. 


11 


PAOB 

m&lfie— fatal  consenfuences— Fitzpatrickand  the  bridge — trappers'  precautions 
—meeting  with  the  Blackfeet— more  fighting— anecdote  of  a  young  Mexican 
and  an  Indian  girl 79 

CHAPTER  XII. 

A  winter  camp  in  the  wilderness— medley  of  trappers,  hunters,  and  Indians — 
scarcity  of  game— new  arrangements  in  the  camp— detachments  sent  to  a  dis- 
tance—careless^ness  of  the  Indians  when  enean)i)ed— sickness  among  the  In- 
dians—excellent character  of  the  Nez  Percys— the  Cftptain's  effort  as  a  pacifi- 
cator—a  Nez  Percys  argument  in  favor  of  war— robberies  by  the  Blackfeet — 
long  suffering  of  the  Nez  Percy's— a  hunter's  Elysium  among  the  mountains — 
more  robberies— the  Captain  preaches  up  a  crusade— the  effect  upon  hig 
hearers 84 


CHAPTER  Xm. 
Story  of  Kosato,  the  renegade  Blackfoot 


gs 


CHAITER  XTV. 

The  party  enters  the  moimtain  gorge— a  wild  fastness  among  the  hills— moun- 
tain mutton— peace  and  plenty- the  amorous  trapper— a  piebald  wedding— a 
free  trapper's  wife -her  gala  equipments— Christmas  in  the  wilderness 05 

CHAPTER  XV. 

A  hunt  after  hunters— hungry  times— a  voracious  repast— wintry  weather— 
Godin's  River— splendid  winter  scene  on  the  great  lava  plain  of  Snake  River- 
severe  travelling  and  tramping  in  the  snow— Manoeuvres  of  a  solitary  Indian 
horseman— encampment  on  Snake  River— Banueck  Indians— the  horse  chief— 
his  charmed  life 101 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Misadventures  of  Matthieu  and  his  party— return  to  the  caches  at  Salmon  River 
—battle  between  Nez  Perc6s  and  Blackfeet— heroism  of  a  Nez  Percys  woman 
—enrolled  among  the  braves. . .     107 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Opening  of  the  caches— detachments  of  Cerrrt  and  Tlodgkiss- Salmon  River 
Moiintnins— superstition  of  an  Iniiiun  trapper— Godin's  River— preptuations 
for  trapping— an  alarm— an  intt^rruption— a  rival  band— phenomena  of  Snake 
Rivtir  plain— vast  clefts  and  chasms— ingulfed  streams— sublime  scenery— a 
grand  buffalo  hunt 119 


CHAFFER  XVlli. 

Meeting  with  Hodgkiss  -misfortunes  of  the  Nez  PercC>s— schemes  of  Kosato,  the 
renegade— his  foray  into  the  hoi*se  prairie— invasion  of  Blackfeet— Bliio  John 
and  his  Forlorn  Hope— their  generous  enterprise- their  fate— consternation 
and  despair  of  the  village— solemn  obsequies— attempt  at  Ind'aii  trade— Hud- 
son's Bay  Company's  monopoly — arrangements  for  autumn— breaking  up  of 
an  eucampnieut 117 


13 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


PAGE 


Precautions  In  dangerous  defiles— trappers'  mode  of  defence  on  a  prairie— a 
mysterious  visitor— arrival  in  Green  River  Valley— adventures  of  the  detach- 
ments—the forlorn  partisan— his  tale  of  disasters 134 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Gathering  in  Green  River  Valley— visitings  and  feastings  of  leaders— rough  was- 
sailing among  the  trappers— wild  blades  of  the  mountains- Indian  belles- 
potency  of  bright  beads  and  red  blankets— arrival  of  supplies— revelry  and  ex- 
travagance—mad  wolves— the  lost  Indian 129 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Schemes  of  Captain  Bonneville— the  great  Salt  Lake— expedition  to  explore  it- 
preparations  for  a  journey  to  the  Bighorn 131 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

The  Crow  country— the  Crow  paradise— habits  of  the  Crows— anecdotes  of  Rose, 
the  renegade  white  man— his  f.ghts  with  the  Blackfeet— his  elevation— his 
death— Arapooish,  the  Crow  chief —his  eagle  —adventure  of  Robert  Campbell 
—honor  among  the  Crows 


CHAPTER  XXm. 

Departure  from  Green  River  Valley— Popo  Agie— its  course— the  rivers  into 
which  it  runs  —scenery  of  the  bluffs— the  great  Jar  Spring— volcanic  tracts  in 
the  Crow  country— burniiig  mountain  of  Powder  River— Sulphur  Springs- 
hidden  flres— Colter's  Hell— Wind  River— Campbell's  party— Fitzpatrick  and 
his  trappers— Captain  Stewart,  an  amateur  traveller— Nathaniel  Wyeth— anec- 
dotes of  his  expedition  to  the  Far  West— disaster  of  Campbell's  party— a  union 
of  bands— the  bad  pass— the  Rav^ids — departure  of  Fitzpatrick— embarkation 
of  Peltries— Wyeth  and  his  bull  boat — adventures  of  Captain  Bonneville  in  the 
Bighorn  Mountains— adventures  in  the  plains— traces  of  Indians — travelling 
precautions— dangers  of  making  a  smoke— the  rendezvous 141 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Adventures  of  fa  party  of  t4>n— the  Balaamite  mule — a  dead  point- the  mysteri- 
ous elks— a  night  attack— a  retreat— travelling  under  an  alarm— a  joyful  meet- 
ing—adventures of  the  other  party— a  decoy  elk— retreat  to  an  island— a  sav- 
age dance  of  triumph— arrival  at  Wind  River 148 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Captain  Bonneville  sets  out  for  Green  River  Valley— journey  up  the  Popo  Agie 
— buffaloes— the  staring  white  bears— the  smoke— the  Warm  Springs— attempt 
to  traverse  the  Wind  River  Mountains— the  great  slope— mountain  dells  and 

\  chasms— crystal  lakes— ascent  of  a  snowy  peak— sublime  prospect— a  pano- 
rama—" Les  dlgnes  de  Pitle,"  or  Wild  Men  of  the  Mountains 


CONTENTS. 


13 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


PAOB 


A  retrograde  movj— Channel  of  a  mountain  torrent— Alpine  scenery— cascades 
— beaver  valleys— beavei-s  at  work— their  architecture— their  modes  of  felling 
trees — mode  of  trapping  the  beaver — contests  of  sliill — a  beaver  '*  up  to  trap  " 
— arrival  at  the  Green  River  caches 168 

CHAPIER  XXVn. 

Route  towards  Wind  River— dangerous  neighborhood— alarms  and  precautions 
—a  sham  encampment— apparition  of  an  Indian  spy— midnight  move— a 
mountain  defile- the  Wind  River  valley— tracking  a  party— deserted  camps 
— symptomsjof  Crows— meeting  of  comrades— a  trapper  entrapped— Crow 
pleasantry— Crow  spies— a  decampment— return  to  Green  River  Valley- 
meeting  with  Fitzpatrick's  party— their  adventures  among  the  Crows— ortho- 
dox«Crow8 168 


CHAPTER  XXVin. 

A  region  of  natural  curiosities— the  plain  of  white  clay— Hot  Springs— the  Beer 
Spring— departure  to  seek  the  trappers— plain  of  Portneuf-lava— chasms  and 
gullies— Banneck  Indians— their  hunt  of  ihe  buflfalo— hunters'  feast— trencher 
heroes— bullying  of  an  absent  foe— the  damp  comrade— Indian  spy— m  meting 
with  Hodgkiss— his  adventures— Poordevil  Indians— triumph  of  the  Ba  anecks 
— Blackfeet  policy  In  war 171 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Winter  camp  at  the  Portneuf-flne  springs— the  Banneck  Indians— their  honesty 
—Captain  Bonneville  prepares  for  an  expedition— Christmas— the  American 
Falls— wild  scenery— Fishing  Falls— Snake  Indians— scenery  of  the  Bruneau— 
view  of  the  volcanic  country  from  a  mountain— Powder  River— Shoshokoes, 
or  Root  Diggers- their  character,  habits,  habitations,  dogs— vanity  at  its  last 
shift 178 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

Temperature  of  the  climate— Root  Diggers  on  horse— an  Indian  guide— tnoun- 
f  tain  prospects— the  Grand  Rond-difllculties  on  Snake  River— a  scramble  over 
the  Blue  Mountains — suflFerings  from  hunger— prospect  of  the  Immahah  Vr'- 
ley— the  exhausted  traveller 180 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Progress  in  the  Valley— an  Indian  cavalier— the  Captain  falls  into  a  lethargy— 
a  Nez  Percys  partriarch— hospitable  treatment— the  bald  head— bargaining 
—value  of  an  old  plaid  cloak— the  family  horse— the  cost  of  an  Indian  present  193 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

Nez  Perc<''8  camp— a  chief  with  a  hard  name— the  big  hearts  of  the  East— hos- 
pitable treatment— the  Indian  guides— mysterious  councils— the  loquacious 


14 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

chief— Indian  tomb— grand  Indian  reception— an  Indian  feast— town-criers— 
honesty  of  the  Nez  Percfis— the  Captain's  attempt  at  healing 198 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

Scenery  of  the  Way-Lee-Way— a  substitute  for  tobacco— sublime  scenery  of 
Snake  River— the  garrulous  old  chief  and  his  cousin— a  Nez  P?rc6s  meeting — 
a  stolen  skin— a  scapegoat  dog— mysterious  conferences— the  little  chief —his 
hospitality— the  Captain's  account  of  the  United  States— his  healing  skill 205 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

Fort  Wallah-Wallah— its  commander— Indians  in  its  neighborhood— exertions 
of  Mr.  Painbrune  for  their  improvement— religion— code  of  laws— range  of  the 
lower  Nez  Percys — Camash  and  other  roots — Nt- z  Percys  horses — preparations 
for  departure- refusal  of  supplies— departure— a  laggard  and  glutton 21S 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

The  uninvited  guest— free  and  easy  manners— salutary  jokes— a  prodigal  son- 
exit  of  the  glutton— a  sudden  change  in  fortune— danger  of  a  visit  to  poor 
relations- plucking  of  a  prosperous  man— a  vagabond  toilet— a  substitute  for 
the  very  fine  horse— hard  travelling— the  uninvited  guest  and  the  patriarchal 
colt— a  beggar  on  horseback— a  catastrophe— exit  of  the  merry  vagabond 


216 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

The  difficult  mountain— a  smoke  and  consultation— the  Captain's  speech— an 
icy  turnpike— danger  of  a  false  step— arrival  on  Snake  River— return  to  Port- 
neuf— meeting  of  comrades 222 


/r 


CHAPl'ER  XXXVII. 

Departure  for  the  rendezvous— a  war  party  of  Blackfeet— a  mock  bilistle- sham 
fights  at  night— warlike  precautions— dangers  of  a  night  attack-a  panic 
among  horses— cautious  march— the  Beer  Spi-ings— a  mock  carousal— skir- 
mishing with  buffaloes— a  b;  Talo  bait— arrival  at  the  rendezvous— meeting 
of  various  bands 227 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

Plan  of  the  Salt  Lake  expedition— great  sandy  deserts— sufferings  from  thirst 
— Ogden's  River— trails  and  smoke  of  lurking  Indians— thefts  at  night— a  trap- 
per's revenge— alarms  of  a  guilty  conscience— a  murderoun  victory — Califor- 
iiiaa  Mountains— plains  along  the  Pacific— Arrival  at  Monterey— account  of 
the  place  and  neighborhood— Lower  California— its  extent— the  peninsula— 
Boil— climate— production-its  settle' ^ent  by  the  Jesuits -their  sway  over  the 
Indians  -their  expulsion— ruins  of  a  missionarj'  establishment— stiblime  scen- 
«'ry— Upper  California- missions- their  power  and  policy— resources  of  the 
country— designs  of  foreign  nations 231 


CONTENTS. 


16 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 


PAGK 


(Jay  life  at  Monterey— Mexican  horsemen— a  bold  dragoon— use  of  the  lasso— 
Vaqueros— noosing  a  bear— fight  between  a  bull  and  a  bear- departure  from 
Monterey— Indian  horse-stealers— outrages  committed  by  the  travellers- 
indignation  of  Captain  Bonneville 238 

CHAPTER  XL. 

Travellers'  tales— Indian  lurkers— prognostics  of  Buckeye— signs  and 
the  Medicine  wolf— an  alarm— an  ambush— the  captured  provant— tt;^— iJrt  of 
Buckeye— arrival  of  supplies— grand  carouse— arrangements  for  tfie^ear— 
Mr.  Wyeth  and  his  n6w-levied  band 242 


CHAPTER  XLI. 


A  Toyage  in  a  bull  boat . 


246 


CHAPTER  XLH. 

Departure  of  Captain  Bonneville  for  the  Columbia— advance  of  Wyeth— efforts 
to  keep  the  lead— Hudson's  Bay  party— a  junketing-a  delectable  beverage- 
honey  and  alcohol— high  carousing— the  Canadian  "bon  vivant"— a  cache— 
a  rapid  move — Wyeth  and  his  plans— his  travelling  companions— buffalo  hunt- 
ing—more coaviviality— an  interruption 259 

CHAPTER  XLin. 

A  rapid  march— a  cloud  of  dust— wild  horsemen—"  High  jinks  "—horse-racing 
and  rifle  shooting— the  game  of  hand— the  fishing  season— mode  of  fishing- 
table  lands— salmon  fishers— the  Captain's  visit  to  an  Indian  lodge— the  Indian 

I  girl— the  pocket  mirror— supper— troubles  of  an  evil  conscience  264 

CHAPTER  XLIV. 

Outfit  of  a  trapper— risks  to  which  he  is  subjected— partnership  of  trappers- 
enmity  of  Indians— distoat  smoke— a  country  on  fire— Gun  Creek--Grand 
Rond— fine  pastures— perplexities  in  a  smoky  country — conflagration  of 
forests 269 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

The  Skynses— their  trafflc—huntlng— food— horses— a  horse-race— devotional 
feeling  of  the  Skynses,  Nez  Percfis,  and  Flatheads— prayers— exhortations— 
a  preacher  on  horseback— effect  of  religion  on  the  manners  of  the  tribes— 
a  new  light » 278 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 

Scarcity  in  the  camp— refusal  of  supplies  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company— con- 
duct of  the  Indians— a  hungry  retreat— John  Day'j  River— the  Blue  Moun* 


16 


CONTENTS. 


PAOB 


tains— salmon  fls'uing  on  Snake  River— messengers  from  the  Crow  country- 
Bear  River  Valley— Immense  immigration  of  Buffalo— danger  of  buffalo  hunt- 
ing—a wounded  Indian— Eutaw  Indians— a  "  surround  "  of  antelopes ^877 


CHAPTER  XLVn. 

A  festive  winter— conversion  of  the  Shoshonies— visit  of  two  free  trappers— 
gayety  in  the  camp — a  touch  of  the  tender  passion— the  reclaimed  squaw— 
an  Indian  fine  lady— an  elopement— a  pursuit— market  value  of  a  bad  wife. . .  283 


CHAPTER  XLVm. 

Breaking  up  of  winter  quarters— move  to  Green  River— a  trapper  and  his  rifle— 
an  arrival  in  camp— a  free  trapper  and  his  squaw  in  distress— story  of  a  Black- 
foot  beUe ■ 287 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

Rendezvous  at  Wind  River— campaign  of  Montero  and  his  brigMe  in  the  Crow 
country— wars  between  the  Crows  and  the  Blackfeet— death  of  Arapooish— 
Blackfeet  lurkers- sagacity  of  the  horse— dependence  of  the  hunter  on  his 
horse— return  to  the  settlements 201 

APPENDIX. 

Nathaniel  J.  Wyeth  and  the  trade  of  the  Far  West 298 

Wreck  of  a  Japanese  Junk  on  the  Northwest  Coast 108 


Adventures  of  Captain  Bonneville. 


CHAPTER  I. 

STATE  OF  THE  PUR  TRADE  OF  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS— A:\IERI- 
CAN  ENTERPRISES— GENERAL  ASHLEY  AND  HIS  ASSOCIATES— 
SUBLETTE,  A  FAMOUS  LEADER— YEARLY  RENDEZVOUS  AMONG 
THE  MOUNTAINS — STRATAGEMS  AND  DANGERS  OF  THE  TRADE — 
BANDS  OF  TRAPPERS— INDIA  17  BANDITTI — CROWS  AND  BLACK- 
FEET — MOUNTAINEERS — TRADERS  OF  THE  FAR  WEST — CHARAC- 
TER AND  HABITS   OF  THE  TRAPPER. 


In  a  recent  work  we  have  given  an  account  of  the  grand  enter- 
prise of  Mr.  John  Jaoob  Astor,  to  establish  an  American  empo- 
rium for  the  fur  trade  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  or  Oregon 
River;  of  the  failure  of  that  enterprise  through  the  capture  of 
Astoria  by  the  British,  in  1814 ;  and  of  the  way  in  which  the 
control  of  the  trade  of  the  Columbia  and  its  dependencies  foil 
into  the  hands  of  the  Northwest  Company.  We  have  stated, 
likewise,  the  unfortunate  supineness  of  the  American  Govern- 
ment, in  neglecting  the  application  of  Mr.  Astor  for  the  protec- 
tion  of  the  American  flag,  and  a  small  military  force,  to  enable 
him  to  reinstate  himself  in  the  possession  of  Astoria  at  the  re- 
turn of  peace ;  when  the  post  was  formally  given  up  by  the 
British  Government,  though  still  occupied  by  the  Northwest 
Company.  By  that  supineness  the  sovereignty  in  the  country 
has  been  virtually  lost  to  the  United  States ;  and  it  will  cost 
both  governments  much  trouble  and  difficulty  to  settle  matters 
on  that  just  and  rightful  footing,  on  which  they  would  readily 
have  been  placed,  had  the  proposition  of  Mr„  Astor  been  at- 
tended to.  We  shall  now  state  a  few  particulars  of  subsequent 
events,  so  as  to  lead  the  reader  up  to  the  period  of  which  we 


18 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


are  about  to  treat,  and  to  prepare  him  for  the  circumstances  of 
our  narrative. 

In  consequence  of  the  apathy  ond  neglect  of  the  American 
Government,  Mr.  Astor  abandoned  all  thoughts  of  regaining 
Astoria,  and  made  no  further  attempt  to  extend  his  enterprises 
beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains;  and  the  Northwest  Company 
considered  themselves  the  lords  of  the  country.  They  did  not 
long  enjoy  unmolested  the  sway  which  they  had  somewhat  siu*- 
feptiiiously  attained.  A  fierce  competition  ensued  between  them 
and  their  old  rivals,  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company ;  which  was 
carried  on  at  great  cost  and  sacrifice,  and  occasionally  with 
the  loss  of  life.  It  ended  in  the  ruin  of  most  of  the  partners  of 
the  Northwest  Company ;  and  the  merging  of  the  relics  of  that 
establishment,  in  1821,  in  the  rival  association.  From  that 
time,  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  enjoyed  a  monopoly  of  the 
Indian  trade  from  the  coast  of  the  Pacific  to  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, and  for  a  considerable  extent  north  and  south.  They 
removed  their  emporium  from  Astoria  to  Fort  Vancouver,  a 
strong  post  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Columbia  River,  about  sixty 
miles  from  its  mouth;  whence  they  furnished  their  interior 
posts,  and  sent  forth  their  brigades  of  trappers. 

The  Rocky  Mountains  formed  a  vast  barrier  between  them 
and  the  United  States,  and  their  stern  and  awful  defiles,  their 
rugged  valleys,  and  the  great  western  plains  watered  by  their 
rivers,  remained  almost  a  terra  incognita  to  the  American 
trapper.  The  difficulties  experienced  in  1808,  by  Mr.  Henry,  of 
the  Missouri  Company,  the  first  American  who  trapped  upon 
the  head-waters  of  the  Columbia ;  and  the  frightful  hardships 
sustained  by  Wilson  P.  Hunt,  Ramsay  Crooks,  Robert  Stuart, 
and  other  intrepid  Astorians,  in  their  ill-fated  expeditions 
across  the  mountains,  appeared  for  a  time  to  check  all  further 
enterprise  in  that  direction.  The  American  traders  contented 
themselves  with  following  up  the  head  branches  of  the  Mis- 
souri, the  Yellowstone,  and  other  rivers  and  streams  on  the 
Atlantic  side  of  the  mountains,  but  forbore  to  attempt  those 
great  snow-crowned  sierras. 

One  of  the  first  to  revive  these  tramontane  expeditions  was 
General  Ashley,  of  Missouri,  a  man  whose  courage  and  achieve- 
ments in  the  prosecution  of  his  enterprises  have  rendered  him 
famous  in  the  Far  West.  In  conjunction  with  Mr.  Henry,  al- 
ready mentioned,  he  establishod  a  post  on  the  banks  of  the 
Yellowstone  River,  in  182J,  and  in  the  following  year  pushed  a 
resolute  band  of  trappers  across  the  mountains  to  the  banks  of 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


19 


the  Green  River  or  Colorado  of  the  West,  often  known  by  the 
Indian  name  of  the  Seeds-ke-dee  Agie.*  This  attempt  was  fol- 
lowed up  and  sustained  by  others,  until  in  1825  a  footing  was 
secured,  and  a  complete  system  of  trapping  organized  beyond 
the  mountains. 

It  is  difficult  to  do  justice  to  the  courage,  fortitude,  and  per- 
severance of  the  pioneers  of  the  fur  trad  i,  who  conducted  these 
early  expeditions,  and  first  broke  their  way  through  a  wilder- 
ness Where  everything  was  calculated  to  deter  and  dismay 
them.  They  had  to  traverse  the  most  dreary  and  desolate 
mountains,  and  barren  and  trackless  wastes,  uninhabited  by 
man,  or  occasionally  infested  by  predatory  and  cruel  savages. 
Tliey  knew  nothing  of  the  country  beyond  the  verge  of  theii 
horizon,  and  had  to  gather  information  as  they  wandered. 
They  beheld  volcanic  plains  stretching  around  them,  and 
ranges  of  mountains  piled  up  to  the  clouds  and  glistening  with 
eternal  frost;  but  knew  nothing  of  their  defiles,  nor  how  they 
were  to  be  penetrated  or  traversed.  They  launched  themselves 
in  frail  canoes  on  rivers,  without  knowing  whither  their  swift 
currents  would  carry  them,  or  what  rocks,  and  shoals,  and 
rapids,  they  might  encounter  in  their  course.  They  had  to  bo 
continually  on  the  alert,  too,  against  the  mountain  tribes,  who 
beset  every  defile,  laid  ambuscades  in  their  path,  or  attacked 
them  in  their  night  encampments ;  so  that,  of  the  hardy  bands 
of  trappers  that  first  entered  into  these  regions,  three  fifths  are 
said  to  have  fallen  by  the  hands  of  savage  f*:  js. 

In  this  wild  and  warlike  school  a  number  of  leaders  have 
sprung  up,  originally  in  the  employ,  subsequently  partners  of 
Ashley;  among  these  we  may  mention  Smith  Fitzpatrick, 
Bridger,  Robert  Campbell,  and  William  Sublette ;  whose  adven- 
tures and  exploits  partake  of  the  wildest  spirit  of  romance. 
The  association  commenced  by  General  Ashley  underwent  va- 
rious modifications.  That  gentleman  having  acquired  suffi- 
cient fortune,  sold  out  his  interest  and  retired ;  and  the  leading 
spirit  that  succeeded  him  was  Captain  William  Sublette ;  a  man 
worthy  of  note,  as  his  name  has  become  renowned  in  frontier 
story.  He  is  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  of  game  descent; 
his  maternal  grandfather,  Colonel  Wheatley,  a  companion  of 
Boone,  having  been  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  West,  celebrated 
in  Indian  warfare,  and  killed  in  one  of  the  contests  of  the 
"  Bloody  Ground."  We  shall  frequently  have  occasion  to  speak 


*  i.e.  The  Prairie  Heu  River.    Agie  in  the  Crow  langua^^t-  signifies  river. 


20 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


of  this  Sublette,  and  always  to  the  credit  of  his  game  qualities. 
In  1830,  the  association  took  the  name  of  the  Rocky  Mountain 
Fur  Company,  of  which  Captain  Sublette  and  Robert  Campbell 
were  prominent  members. 

In  the  meantime,  the  success  of  this  company  attracted  the 
attention  and  excited  the  emulation  of  the  iVmerican  Fur  Com- 
pany and  brought  them  once  more  into  the  field  of  their  ancient 
enterprise.  Mr.  Astor,  the  founder  of  the  association,  had  re- 
tired from  busy  life,  and  the  concerns  of  the  company  were 
ably  managed  by  Mr.  Ramsay  Crooks,  of  Snake  River  renown, 
who  still  officiates  as  its  president.  A  competition  immediate- 
ly ensued  between  the  two  companies,  for  the  trade  with  the 
mountain  tribes,  and  the  trapping  of  the  head-watci's  of  tlie 
Columbia  and  the  other  ^-eat  tributaries  of  the  Pacific.  Be- 
side the  regular  operations  of  these  formidable  rivals,  there 
have  been  from  time  to  time  desultory  enterprises,  or  rather 
experiments,  of  minor  associations,  or  of  adventurous  indi- 
viduals, beside  roving  bands  of  independent  trappers,  who 
either  hunt  for  themselves,  or  engage  for  a  single  season  in  the 
service  of  one  or  other  of  the  main  companies. 

The  consequence  is,  that  the  Rocky  ^lountains  and  the  ulte- 
rior regions,  from  the  Russian  possessions  in  the  north  down  to 
the  Spanish  settlements  of  California,  have  been  traversed  and 
ransacked  in  every  direction  by  bands  of  huntn  ^  and  Indian 
traders;  so  that  there  is  scarcely  a  mountain  pass,  or  defile, 
that  is  not  known  and  threaded  in  their  restless  migrations, 
nor  a  nameless  stream  that  is  not  haunted  by  the  lonely 
trapper. 

The  American  fur  companies  keep  no  establish?d  posts  beyond 
the  mountains.  Everything  there  is  regulated  by  resident  part- 
ners; that  is  to  say,  partners  who  reside  in  the  tramontane 
country,  but  who  move  about  from  place  to  place,  either  witli 
Indian  tribes,  whose  traffic  they  wish  to  monopolize,  or  with 
main  bodies  of  their  own  men,  whom  they  employ  in  trading 
and  trapping.  In  the  meantime,  they  detach  bands,  or  "bri- 
gades" as  they  are  termed,  of  trappers  in  various  directions,  as- 
signing to  each  a  portion  of  country  as  a  hunting  or  trapping 
ground.  In  the  months  of  June  and  July,  when  there  is  an  in- 
terval between  the  hunting  seasons,  &  general  rendezvous  is 
held,  at  some  designated  place  in  the  mountains,  where  the  af- 
fairs of  the  past  year  are  settled  by  the  resident  partners,  and 
the  plans  for  the  following  year  arranged. 

To  tliis  rendezvous  repair  the  various  brigades  of  trappers 


ADVKyTVRES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


21 


fi'om  their  widely  separated  huntinp:  grounds,  bringing;  in  the 
l)r«)ducts  of  their  year's  campaign.  Hither  also  repair  the  In- 
dian tribes  accustomed  to  trailic  their  jwltries  with  the  com- 
])nny.  Bands  of  free  trappers  resort  hither  also,  to  sell  the 
furs  they  have  collected;  or  to  engage  their  services  for  the 
next  hunting  season. 

To  this  rendezvous  the  company  sends  annually  a  convoy  of 
supplies  from  its  estabhshment  on  the  Atlantic  frontier,  under 
the  guidance  of  some  experienced  partner  or  officer.  On  the 
arrival  of  tliis  convoy,  the  resident  partner  at  the  rendezvous 
depends,  to  set  all  his  next  year's  machinery  in  motion. 

Now  as  the  rival  companies  keep  a  vigilant  eye  upon  each 
other,  and  are  anxious  to  discover  each  other's  plans  and  move- 
ments, they  generally  contrive  to  hold  their  annual  assem- 
blages at  no  great  distance  apart.  An  eager  competition  ex- 
ists also  between  their  respective  convoys  of  supplies,  which 
sliall  first  reach  its  place  of  rendezvous.  For  this  purpose  they 
set  off  with  the  fii*st  appearance  of  grass  on  the  Atlantic  fron- 
tier, and  push  with  all  diligence  for  the  mountains.  The  com- 
pany that  can  first  open  its  tempting  supplies  of  coffee,  tobac- 
co, ammunition,  scarlet  cloth,  blankets,  bright  shawls,  and 
glittering  trinkets,  has  the  greatest  chance  to  get  all  the  peltries 
and  fui-s  of  the  Indians  and  free  trappers,  and  to  engage  their 
services  for  the  next  season.  It  is  able,  also,  to  fit  out  and  dis- 
patch its  own  trappers  the  soonest,  so  as  to  get  the  st'irt  of  its 
('i)nipetitors,  and  to  have  the  first  dash  into  the  hunting  and 
trapinng  grounds. 

A  new  species  of  strategy  has  sprung  out  of  this  huntijip,-  and 
trapping  competition.  The  constant  study  of  the  rival  bands 
i;  to  forestall  and  outwit  each  other;  to  supplant  each  other  in 
tiie  good-will  and  custom  of  the  Indian  tribes;  to  cross  each 
llior's  plans;  to  mislead  each  other  as  to  routes;  in  a  word, 
iK'xt  to  his  own  advantage,  the  study  of  the  Indian  trader  is  the 
a(s,j(l vantage  of  his  competitor. 

The  influx  of  this  wandering  trade  has  had  its  effects  on  the 
ii.'ibits  of  the  mountain  tribes.  They  have  found  the  trai)ping 
ot  the  beaver  their  most  profitable  species  of  hunting;  and  the 
Irallic  with  the  white  man  has  opened  to  them  soun.-es  of  lux- 
ury of  which  they  previously  had  no  idea.  The  introduction 
of  firearms  has  rendered  them  more  successfid  hunters,  but  at 
lii(^  same  time  more  formidable  foes;  some  of  them  incorrigibly 
savage  and  warlilcc  in  their  nature  have  found  the  expeditions 
of  the  fur  traders  grand  objects  of  profitable  Adventure.    To 


o 


22 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


l:i 


ii 


waylay  and  harass  a  band  of  trappers  with  their  pack-horses, 
when  embarrassed  in  the  rugged  defiles  of  the  mountains,  has 
become  as  favorite  an  exploit  with  these  Indians  as  the  plunder 
of  a  caravan  to  the  Arab  of  the  desert.  The  Crows  and  Black- 
feet,  who  were  such  terrors  in  the  path  of  the  early  adventurers 
to  Astoria,  still  continue  their  predatory  habits,  but  seem  to 
have  brought  them  to  greater  system.  They  know  the  routes 
and  resorts  of  the  trappei*s;  where  to  waylay  them  on  their 
journeys;  where  to  find  them  in  the  hunting  seasons,  and 
where  to  hover  about  them  in  winter  quarters.  The  hfe  of  a 
trapper,  therefore,  is  a  perpetual  state  militant,  and  he  must 
sleep  with  his  weapons  in  his  hands. 

A  new  order  of  trappers  and  traders,  also,  has  grown  out  of 
this  system  of  things.  In  the  old  times  of  the  great  North- 
west Company,  when  the  trade  in  furs  was  pursued  chiefly 
about  the  lakes  and  rivers,  the  expeditions  were  carried  on  in 
batteaux  and  canoes.  The  voyageui*s  or  boatmen  were  the 
rank  and  file  in  the  service  of  the  trader,  and  even  the  hardy 
"men  of  the  north,"  those  great  rufflers  and  game  birds,  were 
faji  to  be  paddled  from  point  to  point  of  their  migrations. 

A  totally  different  class  has  now  sprung  up; — "the  Moun- 
taineers," the  traders  and  trappers  that  scale  the  vast  moun- 
tain chains,  and  pursue  their  hazardous  vocations  amid  their 
wild  recesses.  Tliey  move  from  place  to  place  on  horseback. 
The  equestrian  exercises,  therefore,  in  which  they  are  en- 
gaged, the  nature  of  the  countries  they  traverse,  vast  plains 
and  mountains,  pure  and  exhilarating  in  atmospheric  qualities, 
seem  to  make  them  physically  and  mentally  a  more  lively  and 
mercurial  race  than  the  fur  traders  and  trappers  of  former 
days,  the  self -vaunting  "men  of  the  norih."  A  man  who  be- 
strides a  horse  must  be  essentially  different  from  a  man  who 
cowers  in  a  canoe.  We  find  them,  accordingly,  hardy,  lithe, 
vigorous,  and  active ;  extravagant  in  word,  and  thought,  and 
deed;  heedless  of  hardship;  daring  of  danger;  prodigal  of  the 
present,  and  thoughtless  of  the  future. 

A  difference  is  to  be  perceived  even  between  these  mountain 
hunters  and  those  of  the  lower  regions  along  the  waters  of  the 
Missouri.  The  latter,  generally  French  Creoles,  live  comfor- 
tably in  cabins  and  log-huts,  well  sheltered  from  the  inclem- 
encies of  the  seasons.  They  are  within  the  reach  of  frequent 
supplies  from  the  settlements;  their  life  is  comparatively  free 
from  danger,  and  from  most  of  the  vicissitudes  of  the  upper 
wilderness.    The  consequence  is,  that  they  are  less  hardy,  self- 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIX  BOy^'EVILLE. 


23 


flependent  and  game-spirited,  than  the  nioimtaineor.  If  tho 
Jatter  by  chance  comes  among  them  on  his  way  to  and  from 
the  settlements,  he  is  hke  a  gamocock  among  tho  connnon 
roosters  of  the  poultry-yard.  Accustomed  to  live  in  tents,  or 
to  bivouac  in  the  open  air,  he  despises  the  comforts  and  is  im- 
patient of  the  confinement  of  the  log-house.  If  his  meal  is 
not  ready  in  season,  he  takes  his  ritle,  hies  to  tiio  forest  o/ 
prairie,  shoots  his  own  game,  lights  his  fire,  and  cooks  his 
repast.  With  his  horee  and  his  rifle,  he  is  independent  of  the 
world,  and  spurns  at  all  its  restraints.  The  very  superintend- 
ents at  the  lower  posts  will  not  put  him  to  mess  with  the  com- 
mon men,  the  hirelings  of  the  establishment,  but  treat  him  as 
something  superior. 

Theie  is,  perhaps,  no  class  of  men  on  the  face  of  the  earth, 
says  Captain  Bonneville,  who  led  a  life  of  more  continued  ex- 
ei-tion,  peril,  and  excitement,  and  who  are  more  enamored  of 
their  occupations,  than  the  free  trapped  of  the  West.  No  toil, 
no  danger,  no  privation  can  turn  the  trapper  from  his  pursuit. 
His  passionate  excitement  at  times  resembles  a  mania.  In  vain 
may  the  most  vigilant  and  cruel  savages  beset  his  path;  in 
vain  may  rocks  and  precipices,  and  wintry  torrents  oppose  his 
progress ;  let  but  a  single  track  of  a  beaver  meet  his  eye,  and 
he  forgets  all  dangers  and  defies  all  difficulties.  At  times,  he 
may  be  seen  with  his  traps  on  his  shoulder,  buffeting  his  way 
across  rapid  streams,  amid  floating  blocks  of  ice;  at  other 
times,  he  is  to  be  found  with  his  traps  swung  on  his  back 
climbing  the  most  rugged  mountains,  scaling  or  descending 
the  most  frightful  precipices,  searching,  by  routes  inaccessible 
to  the  horse,  and  never  before  trodden  by  white  man,  for 
springs  and  lakes  unknown  to  his  comrades,  and  where  he 
may  meet  with  his  favorite  game.  Such  is  the  mountaineer, 
tlie  hardy  trapper  of  the  West ;  and  such,  as  we  have  sHghtly 
sketched  it,  is  the  wild,  Robin  Hood  kind  of  li'e,  with  all  its 
strange  and  motley  populace,  now  existing  in  full  vigor  among 
the  Rocky  Mountains. 

Having  thus  given  the  reader  some  idea  of  the  actual  state  of 
the  fur  trade  in  the  interior  of  our  vast  continent,  and  made 
him  acquainted  with  the  Avild  chivalry  of  the  mountains,  we  will 
no  longer  delay  the  introduction  of  Captain  Bonneville  and  his 
band  into  this  field  of  their  enterprise,  but  launch  them  at 
once  upon  the  perilous  plains  of  the  Far  West. 


24 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


CHAPTER  II. 

DEPARTFItJU  FI?.OM  FORT  OSAGE— MODES  OF  TRANSPORTATION — 
PAOiC-HORSES— WAGONS— WALKER  AND  CERRE ;  THEIR  CHAR- 
ACTERS—BUOYANT FEELINGS  ON  LAUNCHING  UPON  THE  PRAI- 
RIES—WILD EQUIPMENTS  OF  THE  TRAPPERS— TH^^IP.  GAMBOLS 
AND  ANTICS— DIFFERENCE  OF  CHARACTER  BETWEEN  THE  AMER- 
ICAN AND  FRENCH  TRAPPERS  —  AGENCY  OF  THE  KANSAS- 
GENERAL  CLARKE— WHITE  PLU.ME,  THE  ILANSAS  CHIEF— NIGHT 
SCENE  IN  A  trader's  CAMP— COLLOQUY  BETWEEN  WHITE  PLUME 
AND  THE  CAPTAIN—  BEE-HUNTERS  —THEIR  EXPEDITIONS — THEIR 
FEUDS  WITH  THE  INDIANS— BARGAINING  TALENT  OF  WHITE 
PLUME. 

It  was  on  the  first  of  May,  1832,  that  Captain  Bonneville 
took  his  departure  from  the  frontier  post  of  Fort  Osage,  on  the 
Missouri.  He  had  enlisted  a  party  of  one  hundred  and  ten 
men,  most  of  whom  had  been  in  the  Indian  country,  and  some 
of  whom  were  experienced  hunters  and  trappei-s.  Fort  Osa^e, 
and  other  places  on  the  bordois  of  the  western  wilderness, 
abound  with  characters  of  the  kind,  ready  for  any  expedition. 

The  ordinary  mode  of  transportation  in  these  great  inland 
expeditions  of  the  fur  traders  is  on  mules  and  pack-horses;  but 
Captain  Bonneville  substituted  wagons.  Thougli  he  \\as  to 
travel  through  a  trackless  wilderness,  yet  the  greater  part  of 
his  route  would  lie  across  open  plains,  destitute  of  forests,  and 
where  wlieel  carriages  can  i)aHS  in  every  direction.  The  cbief 
difTicidty  occurs  in  passing  the  deep  rnvines  cut  through  the 
prairies  by  streams  and  winter  t(irrents.  Here  it  is  often 
necessary  to  dig  a  road  down  the  banks,  and  to  make  bridges 
for  tnc  .v'ngons. 

In  transporting  bis  baggage  in  vehicles  of  tins  kind.  Captain 
Bonnovillc  thought  ho  would  save  the  great  delay  caused  every 
morning  by  proking  the  lioi-sos,  and  the  labor  of  unpacking  in 
the  evening.  Fewer  horses  also  would  be  required,  and  less  risk 
incurred  of  their  w  ndering  away,  or  being  frightened  or  car- 
ried o(f  by  the  Indians.  The  wagons,  also,  would  be  more 
easily  defended,  and  might  form  a  kind  of  fortification  in  case 
of  attack  in  the  opon  prairies.     A  train  of  twenty  wagons, 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


25 


drawn  by  oxen,  or  by  four  mules  or  horses  each,  and  laden 
with  merchandise,  ammunition,  and  provisions,  were  disposed 
in  two  columns  in  the  centre  of  the  party,  which  was  equally 
divided  into  a  van  and  a  rear-guard.  As  sub-leaders  or  lieu- 
tenants in  his  expedition.  Captain  Bonneville  had  made  choice 
of  Mr,  I.  R.  Walker  and  Mr.  M.  S.  Cerre.  The  former  wf«  a 
native  of  Tennessee,  about  six  feet  high,  strong  built,  dark 
complexioned,  brave  in  spirit,  though  mild  in  manners.  He 
had  resided  for  many  years  m  Missouri,  on  the  frontier;  had 
been  among  the  earhest  adventurers  to  Santa  Fe,  where  he 
went  to  trap  beaver,  and  was  taken  by  the  Spaniards,  Being 
liberated,  he  engaged  with  the  Spaniards  and  Sioux  Indians  in 
a  war  against  the  Pawnees ;  then  returned  to  Missouri,  and  had 
acted  by  turns  as  sheriff,  trader,  trapper,  until  he  was  enlisted 
as  a  leader  by  Captain  Bomieville. 

Cerre,  his  other  leader,  had  Ukewise  been  in  expeditions  to 
Santa  Fe,  in  which  he  had  endured  much  hardship.  He  was 
of  the  middle  size,  hght  complexioned,  and  though  but  about 
twenty-five  years  of  age,  was  considered  an  experienced  In- 
dian trader.  It  was  a,great  object  with  Captain  Bonneville  to 
get  to  the  mountains  before  the  summer  heats  and  summer 
flies  should  render  the  travelling  tcross  the  prairies  distress- 
ing; and  before  the  annual  assemblages  of  people  connected 
with  the  fur  trade  should  have  broken  up,  and  dispersed  to  the 
hunting  grounds. 

The  tv70  rival  associations  already  mentioned,  the  American 
Fur  Company  and  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company,  had 
their  several  places  of  rendezvous  for  the  present  year  at  no 
great  distance  apart,  in  Pierre's  Hole,  a  deep  valley  in  the 
heart  of  the  mountains,  and  thither  Captain  Bonneville  in- 
tended to  shape  his  course. 

It  is  not  easy  to  do  justice  to  the  exulting  feelings  of  tlio 
woi'thy  captain,  at  finding  himself  at  the  head  of  a  stoat  band 
oL  hiniters,  trappers,  and  woodmen;  fairly  la'inchcd  on  tho 
broad  prairies,  with  his  face  to  the  boundless  west.  The 
tamest  inhabitant  of  cities,  the  veriest  spoiled  child  of  civili- 
zation, feels  his  heart  dilate  and  his  pulse  beat  high  on  finding 
himself  on  horseback  in  the  glorious  wilderness;  what  then 
must  be  the  excitement  of  one  whose  imagination  had  been 
stimulated  by  a  residence  on  tho  frontier,  and  to  whom  tho 
wilderness  was  a  region  of  romance  1 

His  hardy  followers  partook  of  his  excitement.  Most  of 
thorn  had  already  experienced  the  wild  freedom  of  savage  life, 


II 


ij! 


•" 


26 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE, 


and  looked  forward  to  a  renewal  of  past  scenes  of  adventure 
and  exploit.  Their  very  appearance  and  equipment  exhibited 
a  piebald  mixture,  half  civilized  and  half  savage.  Many  of 
them  looked  more  like  Indians  than  white  men,  in  their  garbs 
and  accoutrements,  and  their  very  horses  were  caparisoned  in 
bar  bar'.  J  style,  with  fantastic  trappings.  The  outset  of  a  band 
of  adventurers  on  one  of  these  expeditions  is  always  animated 
and  joyous.  The  welkin  rang  with  their  shouts  and  yelps, 
after  the  manner  of  the  savages ;  and  with  boisterous  jokes 
and  light  hearted  laughter.  As  they  passed  the  straggling 
hamlets  and  solitary  cabins  that  fringe  the  skirts  of  the  fi-on- 
tier,  they  would  startle  their  inmates  by  Indian  yells  and  war- 
whoops,  or  regale  them  with  grotesque  feats  of  horsemanship 
well  suited  to  their  half  savage  appearance.  Most  of  these 
abodes  were  inhabited  by  men  who  had  themselves  been  in 
similar  expeditions;  they  welcomed  the  travellers,  therefore, 
as  brother  trappers,  treated  them  with  a  hunter's  hospitahty, 
and  cheered  them  with  an  honest  God  speed  at  parting. 

And  here  we  would  remark  a  great  difference,  in  point  of 
character  and  quality,  between  the  two  classes  of  trappers,  the 
"  American"  and  "French,"  as  they  are  called  in  contradis- 
tinction. The  latter  is  meant  to  designate  the  French  creole 
of  Canada  or  Louisiana;  the  former  the  trapper  of  the  old 
American  stock,  froqi  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  and  others  of  the 
Western  States.  The  French  trapper  is  represented  as  a 
lighter,  softer,  more  self-indulgent  kind  of  man.  He  must 
have  his  Indian  wife,  his  lodge,  and  his  petty  conveniences. 
He  is  gay  and  thoughtless,  takes  little  heed  of  landmarks,  de- 
pends upon  his  leaders  and  companions  to  think  for  the  com- 
mon weal,  and,  if  left  to  himself,  is  easily  perplexed  and  lost. 

The  American  trapper  stands  by  himself,  and  is  peerless  for 
the  service  of  the  wilderness.  Drop  him  in  the  midst  o*  a 
prairie,  or  in  the  heart  of  the  mountains,  and  he  is  ncve^  at 
a  loss.  He  notices  every  landmark;  can  retrace  his  route 
through  the  most  monotonous  plains,  or  the  most  perplexed 
labyrinths  of  the  mountains ;  no  danger  nor  difiicullv  can  ap- 
pall him,  and  he  scorns  to  complain  under  any  privation.  In 
equipping  the  two  kinds  of  trap]iers,  the  Creole  and  Canadian 
are  apt  to  prefer  the  light  fusee ;  the  American  always  grasps 
his  rifle;  he  despises  what  he  calls  the  "shot-gun."  TYo  give 
those  estimates  on  the  authority  of  a  trader  of  long  expericzice, 
and  a  foreigner  by  birth.  *'  I  consider  one  American,"  said  he, 
"equal  to  three  Canadians  in  point  of  sagacity,  aptness  '^t 


t 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


27 


resoiu'ces,  self-dependence,  and  fearlessness  of  spirit.  In  fact, 
no  one  can  cope  with  him  as  a  stark  tramper  of  the  wilder- 
ness." 

Beside  the  two  classes  of  trappers  just  mentioned,  Captain 
Bonnevillo  had  enlisted  sesreral  Delaware  Indians  in  his  em- 
ploy, on  whose  hunting  qualifications  he  placed  great  reliance. 

On  the  6th  of  May  the  travellers  passed  the  last  border  habi- 
tation, and  bade  a  long  farewell  to  the  ease  and  security  of 
civilization.  The  buoyant  and  clamorous  spirits  with  which 
they  had  commenced  their  march  gradually  subsided  as  they 
entered  upon  its  difficulties.  They  found  the  prairies  saturated 
with  the  heavy  cold  rains  prevalent  in  certain  seasons  of  the 
year  in  this  part  of  the  country,  the  wagon  wheels  sank  deep 
in  the  mire,  the  horses  were  often  to  the  fetlock,  and  both 
steed  and  rider  were  completely  jaded  by  the  evening  of  the 
12th,  when  they  reached  the  Kansas  River;  a  fine  stream 
about  three  hundred  yards  wide,  entering  the  Missouri  from 
the  south.  Though  fordable  in  almost  every  part  at  the  end  of 
summer  and  during  the  autumn,  yet  it  was  necessary  to  con- 
struct a  raft  for  the  transportation  of  the  wagons  and  effects. 
All  this  was  done  in  the  course  of  the  following  day,  and  by 
evening  the  whole  party  arrived  at  the  agency  of  the  Kansas 
tribe.  This  was  under  the  superintendence  of  General  Clarke, 
brother  of  the  celebrated  traveller  of  the  same  name,  who, 
with  Lewis,  made  the  first  expedition  down  the  waters  of  the 
Columbia.  He  was  living  like  a  patriarch,  surrounded  by 
laborers  and  interpreters,  all  snugly  housed,  and  provided  with 
excellent  farms.  The  functionary  next  in  consequenco  to  the 
agent  was  the  blacksmith,  a  most  important,  and,  indeed,  in- 
dispensable pei'sonage  in  a  frontier  c(^mmimity.  The  Kansas 
resemble  the  Osages  in  features,  dress,  and  language;  they 
raise  corn  and  hiuit  the  buffalo,  ranging  the  Kansas  River  and 
its  tributary  streams ;  at  the  time  of  the  captain's  visit  they 
were  at  war  with  the  Pawnees  of  the  Nebraska,  or  Platte 
River. 

The  unusual  sight  of  a  train  of  wagons  caused  quite  a  sensa- 
tion among  these  savages ;  who  thronged  about  the  caravan, 
examining  everything  minutely,  and  asking  a  thousand  ques- 
tions; exhibiting  a  degree  of  excitability,  and  a  lively  curi- 
osity, totally  opposite  to  that  apathy  with  which  their  race  is 
so  often  reproaclied. 

The  personage  who  most  attracted  the  captain's  attention  at 
this  place  was  "  WhiLo  Plume,"  the  Kansas  chief,  and  they 


28 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAlJS  I30NNEVILLE. 


soon  became  good  friends.  White  Plume  (we  are  pleased  with 
his  chivalrous  soubriquet)  inhabited  a  large  stone  house,  built 
for  him  by  order  of  the  American  Govermnent ;  but  the  estab- 
lishment had  not  been  carried  out  in  corresponding  style. 
It  might  be  palace  without,  but  it  was  wigvv^am  within;  so 
that,  between  the  stateliness  of  his  mansion  and  the  squalid- 
ness  of  his  furniture,  the  gallant  White  Plume  presented  some 
such  whimsical  incongruity  as  we  see  in  the  gala  equipments 
of  an  Indian  chief  on  a  treaty-making  embassy  at  Washing- 
ton, who  has  been  generously  decked  out  in  cocked  hat  and 
military  coat,  in  contrast  to  his  breech-clout  and  leatheni 
leggins ;  being  grand  officer  at  top,  and  ragged  Indian  at  bot- 
tom. 

White  Plume  was  so  taken  with  the  courtesy  of  the  captain, 
and  pleased  with  one  or  two  presents  received  from  him,  that 
he  accompanied  him  a  day's  journey  on  his  march,  and  passed 
a  night  in  his  camp,  on  the  margin  of  a  small  stream.  The 
method  of  eiuamping  generally  observed  by  the  captain  was 
as  follows:  The  twenty  wagons  were  disposed  in  a  square,  at 
the  distance  of  thirty-three  feet  from  each  other.  In  every 
interval  there  was  a  mess  stationed;  and  each  mess  had  its 
fire,  where  the  men  cooked,  ate,  gossiped,  and  slept.  The 
horses  were  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  square,  with  a  guard 
stationed  over  them  at  night. 

The  horses  were  "side  lined,"  as  it  is  termed;  that  is  to  say, 
the  fore  and  hind  foot  on  the  same  side  of  the  animal  were 
tied  together,  so  as  to  be  witliin  eighteen  inches  of  each  other. 
A  horse  thus  fettered  is  for  a  time  sadly  embarrassed,  but  soon 
becomes  sufficiently  accustomed  to  the  restraint  to  move  about 
slowly.  It  prevents  his  wandering ;  and  his  being  easily  car- 
ried off  at  night  by  lurking  Indians.  When  a  horse  that  is 
"foot  free"  is  tied  to  one  thus  secured,  the  latter  forms,  as  it 
were,  a  pivot,  round  which  the  other  runs  and  curvets,  in  case 
of  alarm. 

Tlie  encampment  of  which  we  arc  speaking  presented  a 
striking  scene.  The  various  mess-fires  were  surrounded  by 
picturesque  groups,  standing,  sitting,  and  reclining;  some 
busied  in  cooking,  others  in  cleaning  their  weapons;  while 
the  frequent  laugh  told  that  the  rough  joke  or  merry  story 
was  going  on.  In  the  middle  of  tlie  camp,  before  the  principal 
lodge,  sat  the  two  chieftains,  Captain  Bonneville  and  White 
Plume,  in  soldiev-like  communion,  the  captain  delighted  with 
tho  opportunity  of  meeting,  on  social  terms,  with  one  of  the 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


29 


red  warriors  of  the  wilderness,  the  unsophisticated  children  of 
nature.  The  latter  was  squatted  on  his  huflalo  robe,  his  strong 
features  and  red  skin  glaring  in  the  broad  light  of  a  blazing 
fire,  wliile  he  recounted  astounding  tales  of  the  blood}'^  exploits 
of  his  tribe  and  himself  in  their  wars  with  the  Pawnees :  for 
there  are  no  old  soldiers  more  given  to  long  camiiaigniiig 
stories  than  Indian  "braves." 

The  feuds  of  White  Plume,  however,  had  not  been  confined 
to  the  red  men;  he  had  much  to  say  of  brushes  with  bee  hujit- 
ers,  a  class  of  offenders  for  whom  he  seemed  to  cherish  a 
particular  abhorrence.  As  the  species  of  hunting  prosecuted 
by  these  worthies  is  not  laid  do"\vn  in  any  of  the  ancient  books 
of  venerie,  and  is,  in  fact,  peculiar  to  our  western  frontier,  a 
word  or  two  on  the  subject  may  not  be  unacceptable  to  the 
reader. 

The  bee  hunter  is  generally  some  settler  on  the  verge  of  the 
prairies;  a  long,  lank  fellow,  of  fever  and  ague  complexion, 
acquired  from  living  on  new  soil,  and  in  a  hut  built  of  green 
logs.  In  the  autumn,  when  the  harvest  is  over,  these  frontier 
settlers  form  parties  of  two  or  three,  and  prepare  for  a  bee 
hunt.  Having  provided  themselves  with  a  wngon,  and  a  num- 
ber of  empty  casks,  they  sally  off,  armed  Avith  their  rifles, 
into  the  wilderness,  directing  their  course  east,  west,  noi-th,  or 
south,  without  any  regard  to  the  ordinance  of  the  American 
Government  which  strictly  forbids  all  trespass  upon  the  lands 
belonging  to  the  Indian  tribes. 

The  belts  of  woodland  that  traverse  the  lower  prairies  and 
border  the  rivers  are  peopled  by  innumerable  swarms  of  wilri 
bees,  which  make  their  hives  in  hollow  trees,  and  fill  them 
with  honey  tolled  from  the  rich  flow-el's  of  the  prairies.  The 
ibees,  according  to  popular  assertion,  are  migrating,  like  the 
settlers,  to  the  west.  An  Indian  trader,  well  expeiienced  in 
the  coimtry,  informs  us  that  within  ten  years  that  he  has 
passed  in  the  Far  West,  the  bee  has  advanced  westward  above 
a  hundred  miles.  It  is  said  on  the  Missouri  that  the  wild  tur- 
key and  the  wild  bee  go  up  the  river  together;  neither  is  found 
in  the  upper  regions.  It  is  but  recently  that  the  wild  turkey 
has  been  killed  on  the  Nebraska,  or  Platte:  and  his  travelling 
competitor,  the  wild  bee,  appeared  tlicre  alnrnt  the  same  time. 

Be  all  this  as  it  may;  the  coiu'se  of  our  party  of  bee  hunters 
is  to  make  a  wide  circuit  through  the  woody  river  bottoms, 
and  the  patches  of  forest  on  the  prairic^s,  marking,  as  they  go 
out,  every  tree  in  which  they  have  detected  a  hive.     These 


m 


30 


AB  VENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


marks  are  generally  respected  by  any  other  bee  hunter  that 
should  come  upon  their  track.  When  they  have  marked  suffi- 
cient to  fill  all  their  casks,  they  turn  their  faces  homeward,  cut 
down  the  trees  as  they  proceed,  and  having  loaded  their 
wagon  with  honey  and  wax,  return  well  pleased  to  the  settle- 
ments. 

Now  it  so  happens  that  the  Indians  relish  wild  honey  as 
highly  as  do  the  white  men,  and  are  the  more  delighted  with 
this  natural  luxury  from  its  having,  in  many  instances,  but 
recently  made  its  appearance  in  their  lands.  The  consequence 
is  numberless  disputes  and  conflicts  between  them  and  tb^  bee 
hunters ;  and  often  a  party  of  the  latter,  returning,  laden  with 
rich  spoil  from  one  of  their  forays,  are  apt  to  be  waylaid  by  the 
native  lords  of  the  soil ;  their  honey  to  be  seized,  then*  harness 
cut  to  pieces,  and  themselves  left  to  find  their  way  home  the 
best  way  they  can,  happy  to  escape  with  no  greater  personal 
harm  than  a  sound  rib-roasting. 

Such  were  the  marauders  of  whose  offences  the  gallant 
White  Plume  made  the  most  bitter  complaint.  They  were 
chiefly  the  settlei*s  of  the  western  part  of  Missouri,  who  are 
the  most  famous  bee  hunters  on  the  frontier,  and  whose  fa- 
vorite hunting  ground  lies  within  the  lands  of  the  Kansas 
tribe.  According  to  the  account  of  White  Plume,  however, 
matters  were  pretty  fairly  balanced  between  him  and  the  of- 
fenders; he  having  as  often  treated  them  to  a  taste  of  the 
bitter,  as  they  had  robbed  him  of  the  sweets. 

It  is  but  justice  to  this  gallant  chief  to  say  that  he  gave 
proofs  of  having  acquired  some  of  the  lights  of  civilization 
from  his  proximity  to  the  whites,  as  was  evinced  in  his  knowl- 
edge of  driving  a  bargain.  He  required  hard  cash  in  return 
for  some  com  with  which  he  supphed  the  worthy  captain,  and 
left  the  latter  at  a  loss  which  most  to  admire,  his  native  chir- 
alry  as  a  brave  or  his  acquired  adroitness  as  a  trader. 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


31 


CHAPTER  III. 


WIDE  PRAIRIES- VEGETABLE  PRODUCTIONS — TABULAR  HILLS — 
SLABS  OF  SANDSTONE— NEBRASKA  OR  PLATTE  RIVER— SCANTY 
FARE-BUFFALO  SKULLS— WAGONS  TURNED  INTO  BOATS — 
HERDS  OF  BUFFALO— CLIFFS  RESEMBLING  CASTLES— THE  CHIM- 
NEY—SCOTT'S  BLUFFS — STORY  CONNECTED  WITH  THEM— THE 
BIGHORN  OR  AHSAHTA— ITS  NATURE  AND  HABITS— DIFFERENCE 
BETWEEN  THAT  AND  THE 
MOUNTAINS. 


"woolly  sheep,"  OR  GOAT  OF  THE 


From  the  middle  to  the  end  of  May,  Captain  Bonneville  pur- 
sued a  western  course  over  vast  undulating  plains,  destitute  of 
tree  or  shrub,  rendered  miry  by  occasional  rain,  and  cut  up  by 
deep  water-courses  where  they  had  to  dig  roads  for  their 
wagons  down  the  soft  crumbling  banks,  and  to  throw  bridges 
across  the  streams.  The  weather  had  attained  the  summer 
heat ;  the  thermometer  standing  about  fifty-seven  degrees  in 
the  morning,  early,  but  rising  to  about  ninety  degrees  at  noon. 
The  incessant  breezes,  however,  which  sweep  these  vast  plains, 
render  the  heats  endurable.  Game  was  scanty,  and  they  had 
to  eke  out  their  scanty  fare  with  wild  roots  and  vegetables,  such 
as  the  Indian  potato,  the  wild  onion,  and  the  prairie  tomato,  and 
they  met  with  quantities  of  "  red  root,"  from  which  the  himt- 
ers  make  a  very  palatable  beverage.  The  only  human  being 
that  crossed  their  path  was  a  Kansas  warrior,  returning  from 
some  solitary  expedition  of  bravado  or  revenge,  bearing  a 
Pawnee  scalp  as  a  trophy. 

The  country  gradually  rose  as  they  proceeded  westward,  and 
their  route  took  them  over  high  ridges,  commanding  wide  and 
beautiful  prospects.  The  vast  plain  was  studded  on  the  west 
with  innumerable  hills  of  conical  shajjc,  such  as  are  seen  north 
of  the  Arkansas  River.  These  hills  have  their  summits  appar- 
ently cut  off  about  the  same  elevation,  so  as  to  leave  flat  sui'faccs 
at  top.  It  is  conje<'tured  by  some  that  the  whole  countr;^  may 
originally  have  been  of  the  altitude  of  these  tabular  hills,  but 
through  some  process  of  nature  may  have  sunk  to  its  present 
level ;  these  insulated  eminences  being  protected  by  broad  foun- 
dations  of  solid  rock. 


i 


i 


,«  r.1 


32 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


Captain  Bonneville  mentions  another  geological  phenomenon 
north  of  Red  River,  where  the  surface  of  the  earth,  in  consid- 
erable tracts  of  country,  is  covered  with  broad  slabs  of  sand- 
stone, having  the  form  and  position  of  grave-stones,  and  look- 
ing as  if  they  had  been  forced  up  by  some  subterranean 
agitation.  "The  resemblance,"  says  he,  "which  these  very 
remarkable  spots  have  in  many  places  to  old  churchyards  is 
curious  in  the  extreme.  One  might  almost  fancy  himself 
among  the  tombs  of  the  pre- Adamites." 

On  the  2d  of  June  they  arrived  on  the  main  stream  of  the 
Nebraska  or  Platte  River ;  twenty-five  miles  below  the  head  of 
the  Grreat  Island.  The  low  banks  of  this  river  give  it  an  ap- 
pearance of  great  width.  Captain  Bonneville  measured  it  in 
one  place,  and  found  it  twenty -two  hundred  yards  from  bank 
to  bank.  Its  depth  was  from  three  to  six  feet,  the  bottom  full 
of  quicksands.  The  Nebraska  is  studded  with  islands  covered 
with  that  species  of  poplar  called  the  cotton-wood  tree.  Keep- 
ing up  along  the  course  of  this  rivor  for  several  days,  they 
were  obliged,  from  the  scarcity  of  game,  to  put  themselves 
upon  short  allowance,  and  occasionally  to  kill  a  steer.  They 
bore  their  daily  labors  and  privations,  however,  with  great 
good  humor,  taking  their  tone,  in  all  probabiUty,  from  the 
buoyant  spirit  of  their  leader.  "If  the  weather  was  inclem- 
ent," says  the  captain,  "  we  watched  the  clouds,  and  hoped  for 
a  sight  of  the  blue  sky  and  the  merry  sun.  If  food  was  scanty, 
we  regaled  ourselves  with  the  hope  of  soon  falling  in  with  herds 
of  buffalo,  and  having  nothing  to  do  but  slay  and  eat."  We 
doubt  whether  the  genial  captain  is  not  describing  the  cheeri- 
ness  of  his  own  breast,  which  gave  a  cheery  aspect  to  every- 
thing around  him. 

There  certainly  were  evidences,  however,  that  the  country 
was  not  always  equally  destitute  of  game.  At  one  place  they 
observed  a  field  decorated  with  buffalo  skulls,  arranged  in  cir- 
cles, curves,  and  other  mathematical  figures,  as  if  for  some 
mystic  rite  or  ceremony.  They  were  almost  innumerable,  and 
seemed  to  have  been  a  vast  hecatomb  offered  up  in  thanks- 
giving to  the  Great  Spirit  for  some  signal  success  in  the  chase. 

On  the  11th  of  June  they  came  to  the  fork  of  the  Nebraska, 
where  it  divides  itself  into  two  equal  and  beautiful  streams. 
One  of  these  branches  rises  in  the  west-southwest,  near  the 
head- waters  of  the  Arkansas.  Up  the  course  of  this  branch,  as 
Captain  Bonneville  was  well  aware,  lay  the  route  to  the  Ca- 
manche  and  Kioway  Indians,  and  to  the  northern  Mexican  set- 


^Jii; 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BOXNEVILf.B. 


33 


tlements ;  of  the  other  branch  he  know  nothing.  Its  sources 
might  lie  among  wild  and  inaccessible  cliffs,  and  tumble 
and  foam  down  rugged  d*  files  and  over  craggy  precipices;  but 
its  direction  was  in  the  true  course,  and  up  this  stream  he  de- 
termined to  prosecute  his  route  to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Find- 
mg  it  impossible,  from  quicksands  and  other  dangerous  impedi- 
ments, to  cross  the  river  in  this  neighborhood,  he  kept  up 
along  the  south  fork  for  two  days,  merely  seeking  a  safe  fording 
place.  At  length  he  encamped,  caused  the  bodies  of  the  wagons 
to  be  dislodged  from  the  wheels,  covered  with  buffalo  hides, 
and  besmeared  with  a  compound  of  tallow  and  ashes;  thuo 
forming  rude  boats.  In  these  they  ferried  their  effects  across 
the  stream,  which  was  six  hundred  yards  wide,  with  a  swift 
and  strong  current.  Three  men  were  in  each  boat,  to  manage 
it;  others  waded  across,  pushing  the  barks  before  them.  Thus 
all  crossed  in  safety.  A  march  of  nine  miles  took  them  over 
high  rolhng  prairies  to  the  north  fork;  their  eyes  being  regaled 
with  the  welcome  sight  of  herds  of  buffalo  at  a  distance,  some 
careering  the  plain,  others  grazing  and  reposing  in  the  natural 
meadows. 

Skirting  along  the  north  fork  for  a  day  or  two,  excessively 
annoyed  by  musquitoes  and  buffalo  gnats,  they  reached,  in  the 
evening  of  the  17th,  a  small  but  beautiful  grove,  from  which 
issued  the  confused  notes  of  singing  birds,  the  first  they  had 
heard  since  crossing  the  boundary  of  Missouri.  After  so  many 
days  of  weary  travelling,  through  a  naked,  monotonous  and 
silent  country,  it  was  delightful  once  more  to  hear  the  song  of 
the  bird,  and  to  behold  the  verdure  of  the  grove.  It  was  a 
beautiful  sunset,  and  a  sight  of  the  glowing  rays,  manthng  the 
tree-tops  and  rustling  branches,  gladdened  every  heart.  They 
pitched  their  camp  in  the  grove,  kindled  their  fires,  partook 
merrily  of  their  rude  fare,  and  resigned  themselves  to  the 
sweetest  sleep  they  had  enjoyed  since  their  outset  upon  the 
prairies. 

The  country  now  became  rugged  and  broken.  High  bluffs 
advanced  upon  the  river,  and  forced  the  travellers  occasionally 
to  leave  its  banks  and  wind  their  course  into  the  interior. 
In  one  of  the  wild  and  solitary  passes  they  were  startled  by 
the  trail  of  four  or  five  pedestrians,  whom  they  supposed  to  bo 
spies  from  some  predatory  camp  of  either  Arickara  or  Crow 
Indians.  This  obliged  them  to  redouble  their  vigilance  at 
night,  and  to  keep  especial  watch  upon  their  hoi*ses.  In  these 
rugged  and  elevated  regions  they  began  to  see  the  black' 


r 


34 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


tailed  deer,  a  species  larger  than  the  ordinarj'  kind,  and  chiefly 
found  in  rocky  and  mountainous  countries.  They  had  reached 
also  a  great  buffalo  range;  Captain  Bonneville  ascended  a 
high  bluff,  commanding  an  extensive  view  of  the  surrounding 
plains.  As  far  as  his  eye  could  reach,  the  country  seemed 
absolutely  blackened  by  innumerable  herds.  No  language,  he 
says,  could  convey  an  adequate  idea  of  the  vast  hving  mass 
thus  presented  to  his  eye.  He  remarked  that  the  bulls  and 
cows  generally  congregated  in  separate  herds. 

Opposite  to  the  camp  at  this  place  was  a  singular  phenom- 
enon, which  is  among  the  curiosities  of  the  country.  It  is 
called  the  chimney.  The  lower  part  is  a  conical  mound,  rising 
out  of  the  naked  plain;  from  the  summit  shoots  up  a  shaft  or 
column,  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  height,  from 
which  it  derives  its  name.  The  height  of  the  whole,  according 
to  Captain  Bonneville,  is  a  hundred  and  seventy-five  yards. 
It  is  composed  of  indurated  clay,  with  alternate  layers  of  red 
and  white  sandstone,  and  may  be  seen  at  the  distance  of  up- 
ward of  thirty  miles. 

On  the  21st  they  encamped  amid  high  and  beetling  cliffs  of 
indurated  clay  and  sandstone,  bearing  the  semblance  of 
towers,  castles,  churches  and  fortified  cities.  At  a  distance  it 
was  scarcely  possible  to  persuade  one's  self  that  the  works  of 
art  were  not  mingled  with  these  fantastic  freaks  of  nature. 
They  have  received  the  name  of  Scott's  Bluffs  from  a  melan- 
choly circumstance.  A  number  of  years  since,  a  party  were 
descending  the  upper  part  of  the  river  in  canoes,  when  their 
frail  barks  were  overturned  and  all  their  powder  spoiled. 
Their  rifles  being  thus  rendered  useless,  they  were  unable  to 
procure  food  by  hunting  and  had  to  depend  upon  roots  and 
wild  fruits  for  subsistence.  After  suffering  extremely  from 
hunger,  they  arrived  at  Laramie's  Fork,  a  small  tributary  of 
the  north  branch  of  the  Nebraska,  about  sixty  miles  above  the 
cliffs  just  mentioned.  Here  one  of  the  party,  by  the  name  of 
Scott,  was  taken  ill ;  and  his  companions  came  to  a  halt,  until 
ho  should  recover  health  and  strength  sufficient  to  proceed. 
While  they  were  searching  round  in  quest  of  edible  roots  they 
discovered  a  fresh  trail  of  white  men,  who  had  evidently  but 
recently  preceded  them.  What  was  to  be  done?  By  a  forced 
march  they  might  overtake  this  party,  and  thus  be  able  to 
reach  the  settlements  in  safety.  Should  they  linger  they 
might  all  perish  of  famine  and  exhaustion.  Scott,  however, 
was  incapable  of  moving ;  they  were  too  feeble  to  aid  him  for- 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


ward,  and  dreaded  that  such  a  clog  would  prevent  their  com- 
ing up  with  the  advance  party.  Tliey  determined,  therefore, 
to  abandon  him  to  his  fate.  Accordingly,  under  pretence  of 
seeking  food,  and  such  simples  as  might  be  efficacious  in  his 
malady,  they  deserted  him  and  hastened  forward  upon  the 
trail.  They  succeeded  in  overtaking  the  party  of  which  they 
were  in  quest,  but  concealed  their  faithless  desertion  of  Scott; 
alleging  that  he  had  died  of  disease. 

On  the  ensuing  summer,  these  very  individuals  visiting 
these  parts  in  company  with  others,  came  suddenly  ui}on  the 
bleached  bones  and  grinning  skull  of  a  human  skeleton,  which, 
by  certain  signs  they  recognized  for  the  remains  of  Scott. 
This  was  sixty  long  miles  from  the  place  where  they  had 
abandoned  him;  and  it  appeared  that  the  Avretched  man  had 
crawled  that  immense  distance  before  death  put  an  end  to  his 
miseries.  The  wild  and  picturesque  bluffs  in  the  neighborhood 
of  his  lonely  grave  have  ever  since  borne  his  name. 

Amid  this  wild  and  striking  scenery,  Captain  Bonneville, 
for  the  first  time,  beheld  flocks  of  the  ahsahta  or  bighorn,  an 
animal  which  frequents  these  cliffs  in  great  numbers.  They 
accord  with  the  nature  of  such  scenery,  and  add  much  to  its 
romantic  effect ;  bounding  like  goats  from  crag  to  crag,  often 
trooping  along  the  lofty  shelves  of  the  mountains,  under  the 
guidance  of  some  venerable  patriarch,  with  horns  twisted 
lower  than  his  muzzle,  and  sometimes  peering  over  the  edge  of 
a  precipice,  so  high  that  they  appear  scarce  bigger  than  crows ; 
indeed,  it  seems  a  pleasure  to  them  to  seek  the  most  rugged 
and  frightful  situations,  doubtless  from  a  feeling  of   ecurity. 

This  animal  is  commonly  called  the  mountain  sheep,  and  is 
often  confounded  with  another  animal,  the  "woolly  sheep," 
found  more  to  the  northward,  about  the  country  of  the  Flat- 
heads.  The  latter  likewise  inhabits  cliffs  in  summer,  but 
descends  into  the  valleys  in  the  winter.  It  has  white  wool, 
like  a  sheep,  mingled  with  a  thin  growth  of  long  hair ;  but  it 
has  short  legs,  a  deep  belly,  and  a  beard  like  a  goat.  Its  horns 
are  about  five  inches  long,  slightly  curved  backward,  black  as 
jet,  and  beautifully  polished.  Its  hoofs  are  of  the  same  color. 
Tills  animal  is  by  no  means  so  active  as  the  bighorn,  it  docs 
not  bound  much,  but  sits  a  good  deal  upon  its  liaunches.  It  is 
not  so  plentiful  either ;  rarely  more  than  two  or  three  are  seen 
at  a  time.  Its  wool  alone  gives  a  resemblance  to  the  sheep ;  it 
is  more  properly  of  the  goat  genus.  The  flesh  is  said  to  have  a 
musty  flavor;  some  have  thought  the  fleece  might  be  valuable, 


;1 


H 


36 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


as  it  is  said  to  be  as  fine  as  that  of  the  goat  of  Cashmere,  but  f% 
is  not  to  be  procured  in  sufficient  quantities. 

"^he  ahsahta,  argali,  or  bighorn,  on  the  contrary,  has  short 
li.*ii'  Uke  a  deer,  and  resembles  it  in  shape,  but  has  the  head 
and  horns  of  a  sheep,  and  its  flesh  is  said  to  be  delicious 
mutton.  The  Indians  consider  it  more  sweet  and  delicate 
than  any  other  kind  of  venison.  It  abounds  in  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  from  the  fiftieth  degree  of  north  latitude  quite 
down  to  California ;  generally  in  the  highest  regions  capable  of 
vegetation ;  sometimes  it  ventures  into  the  valleys,  but  on  the 
least  alarm,  regains  its  favorite  cliffs  and  precipices,  where  it 
is  perilous,  if  not  impossible  for  the  hunter  to  follow.* 


CHAPTER  IV. 

AN  ALARM— CROW  INDIANS— THEIR  APPEARANCE— MODE  OF  AP- 
PROACH—THEIR VENGEFUL  ERRAND— THEIR  CURIOSITY— HOS- 
TILITY BETWEEN  THE  CROWS  AND  BLACKFEET— LOVING  CONDUCT 
OF  THE  CROWS— LARAMIE'S  FORK — FIRST  NAVIGATION  OP  THE 
NEBRASKA— GREAT  ELEVATION  OF  THE  COUNTRY— RARITY  OP 
THE  ATMOSPHERE— ITS  EFFECT  ON  THE  WOODWORK  OP  WAGONS 
—BLACK  HILLS— THEIR  WILD  AND  BROKEN  SCENERY — INDIAN 
DOGS — C«OW  TROPHIES — STERLE  AND  DREARY  COUNTRY — BANKS 
OF  THE  SWEET  WATER— BUFFALO  HUrTING — ADVENTURE  OF 
TOM  CAIN,   THE  IRISH  COOK. 

When  on  the  march,  Captain  Bonneville  always  sent  some 
of  his  best  hunters  in  the  advance  to  reconnoitre  the  country, 
as  well  as  to  look  out  for  game.  On  the  24th  of  May,  as  the 
caravan  was  slowly  journeying  up  the  banks  of  the  Nebraska, 
the  hunters  came  galloping  back,  waving  their  caps,  and  giving 
the  alarm  cry,  Indians  I  Indians ! 

The  captain  immediately  ordered  a  halt :  the  hunters  now 
came  up  and  announced  that  a  large  war-party  of  Crow  In- 
dians were  just  above,  on  the  river.  The  captain  know  the 
character  of  these  savages;  one  of  the  most  roving,  warlike. 


*  Dimensions  of  a  male  of  this  species:  from  the  nose  to  the  base  of  the  tail,  five 
feet;  length  of  the  tail,  four  inches;  girth  of  the  body,  four  feet;  height,  three  feet 
eight  inches:  the  horiii  three  feet  six  inches  long;  one  foot  three  inches  in  circum* 
ference  at  base. 


'  -ii 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


37 


crafty,  and  predatory  tribes  of  the  mountains ;  horse-stealers 
of  the  first  order,  and  easily  provoked  to  acts  of  san.^iinary 
violence.  Orders  were  accordingly  given  to  prepare  for  action, 
and  every  one  promptly  took  the  post  that  had  been  assigned 
him,  in  the  general  order  of  the  march,  in  all  cases  of  warlike 
emergency. 

Everything  being  put  in  battle  array,  the  captain  took  the 
lead  of  his  little  band,  and  moved  on  slowly  and  warily.  In 
a  little  while  he  beheld  the  Crow  warriors  emerging  from 
among  the  bluifs.  There  were  about  sixty  of  them;  fine  mar- 
tial-looking fellows,  painted  and  arrayed  for  war,  and  mounted 
on  horses  decked  out  with  all  kinds  of  wild  trappings.  They 
came  prancing  along  in  gallant  style,  with  many  wild  and 
dexterous  evolutions,  for  none  can  surpass  them  in  horselnan- 
ship ;  and  their  bright  colors,  and  flaunting  and  fantastic  em- 
bellishments, glaring  and  sparkling  in  the  morning  sunshine, 
gave  them  really  a  striking  appearance. 

Their  mode  of  approach.,  to  one  not  acquainted  with  the  tac- 
tics and  ceremonfes  of  this  rude  chivalry  of  the  wilderness, 
had  an  air  of  direct  hostility.  Thev  came  galloping  forward 
in  a  body,  as  if  about  to  make  a  furious  charge,  but,  when 
close  at  hand,  opened  to  the  right  and  left,  and  wheeled  in  wide 
circles  round  the  travellers,  vhooping  and  yelling  like  maniacs. 

This  done,  their  mock  fury  sank  into  a  calm,  and  the  chief, 
approaching  the  captain,  who  had  remained  warily  drawn  up, 
though  informed  of  the  pacific  nature  of  the  manoeuvre,  ex- 
tended to  him  the  hand  of  friendship.  The  pipe  of  peace  was 
smoked,  and  now  all  was  good  fellowship. 

The  Crows  were  in  pursuit  of  a  band  of  Cheyennes,  who  had 
attacked  their  village  in  the  night  and  killed  one  of  their  peo- 
ple. They  had  already  b  an  five  and  twenty  days  on  the  track 
of  the  marauders,  and  were  determined  not  to  return  homt* 
until  they  had  sated  their  revenge. 

A  few  days  previously,  some  of  their  scouts,  who  were  rang- 
ing the  countiy  at  a  distance  from  the  main  body,  had  discov- 
ered the  party  of  Captain  Bonneville.  Tlioy  had  dogged  it  for 
a  time  in  secret,  astonished  at  the  long  train  of  wagons  and 
oxen,  and  especially  struck  with  the  sight  of  a  cow  and  calf, 
quietly  following  the  caravan;  supposing  them  to  be  some  k\nd 
of  tame  buffalo.  Having  satisfied  their  curiosity,  they  car- 
ried back  to  their  chief  intelligence  of  all  that  they  had  seen. 
He  had,  in  consequence,  diverged  from  his  pursuit  of  ven- 
geance, to  behold  the  wonders  described  to  him.     "Now  that 


--^ 


38 


ADVENTURES  01    CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


vre  have  met  you,"  said  he  to  Captain  Bonneville,  **  and  have 
seen  these  marvels  with  our  own  eyes,  our  hearts  are  glad." 
In  fact,  nothing  could  exceed  the  curiosity  evinced  by  these 
people  as  to  the  objects  before  them.  Wagons  had  never 
been  seen  by  them  before,  and  they  examined  them  with 
the  greatest  minuteness;  but  the  calf  was  the  peculiar  object 
of  their  admiration.  They  watched  it  with  intense  interest  as 
it  licked  the  hands  accustomed  to  feed  it,  and  were  struck  with 
the  mild  expression  of  its  countenance,  and  its  perfect  docility. 

After  much  sage  consultation,  they  at  length  determined  that 
it  must  be  the  "  great  medicine"  of  the  white  party  •  an  appella- 
tion given  by  the  Indians  to  anything  of  supernatural  and 
mysterious  power,  that  is  guarded  as  a  talisman.  They  were 
completely  thrown  out  in  their  conjecture,  howevrer,  by  an  offer 
of  the  white  men  to  exchange  the  calf  for  a  horse ;  their  esti- 
mation of  the  great  medicine  sank  in  an  instant,  and  they  de- 
clined  the  bargain. 

At  the  request  of  the  Crow  chieftain  the  two  parties  en- 
camped together,  and  passed  the  residue  of  the  day  in  company. 
The  captain  was  well  pleased  with  every  opportunity  to  gain  a 
knowled^<e  of  the  "unsophisticated  sons  of  nature,"  who  had 
so  long  been  objects  of  his  poetic  speculations ;  and  indeed  this 
wUd,  horse-steahng  tribe  is  one  of  the  most  notorious  of  the 
moimtains.  The  chief,  of  course,  had  his  scalps  to  show  and  his 
battles  to  recount.  The  Blackfoot  is  the  hereditary  enemy  of 
the  Crow,  toward  whom  hostility  is  like  a  cherished  princi- 
ple of  religion ,  for  every  tribe,  besides  ?ts  casual  antagonists, 
has  some  enduring  foe  with  whom  there  can  b<)  no  permanent 
reconciliation.  The  Crows  and  Tilackfeet,  upon  the  whole,  are 
enemies  worthy  of  each  other,  being  roguep^  and  rufiSans  of  the 
first  water.  As  their  predatory  excursions  extend  over  the 
same  regions,  they  often  come  in  contact  with  cac^ii  other,  and 
these  casual  conflicts  serve  to  keep  their  wits  awake  and  their 
pp.ssions  alive. 

The  prcr?ent  party  of  Crows,  however,  evinced  nothing  of  the 
invidious  character  lor  wiiich  they  are  renowned.  During  the 
day  and  night  that  they  were  encamped  in  company  with  the 
travellers,  their  conduct  was  friendly  in  the  extreme.  Thev 
were,  in  fact,  quite  irksome  in  Iheir  attentions,  and  had  a  caress- 
ing manner  at  times  quite  importunate.  It  was  not  until  after 
separation  on  the  following  morning,  that  the  captain  and  his 
men  ascertainbd  the  se'^ret  of  all  this  loving-'  indness.  In  the 
course  of  their  fraternal  caresses,  the  Crows  had  contrived  to 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


39 


empty  the  pockets  of  their  white  brothers ;  to  abstract  the  very 
buttons  from  their  coats,  and,  above  all,  to  make  free  wit)T 
their  hunting  knives. 

By  equal  altitudes  of  the  sun,  taken  at  this  last  encampment, 
Captain  Bonneville  ascertained  his  latitude  to  be  41°  47'  north. 
The  thermometer,  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  stood  at  fifty^ 
nine  degrees;  at  two  o'clock,  p.m.,  at  ninety-two  degrees;  and 
at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  at  seventy  degrees. 

The  Black  Hills,  or  Mountains,  now  began  to  be  seen  at  a 
distance,  printing  the  horizon  with  their  rugged  and  broke:i 
outhnos ;  and  threatening  to  oppose  a  diflBcult  barrier  in  J  .e 
way  of  the  travellers. 

On  the  26th  of  May,  the  travellers  encamped  at  Laraxciie's 
Fork,  a  clear  and  beautiful  stream,  rising  in  the  west-south* 
west,  maintaining  an  average  width  of  twenty  yards,  and 
winding  through  broad  meadows  abounding  in  currants  and 
gooseberries,  and  adorned  with  groves  and  clumps  of  trees. 

By  an  observation  of  Jupiter's  satellites,  with  a  DoUand 
reflecting  telescope.  Captain  Bonneville  ascertained  the  longi- 
tude to  be  102°  57'  west  of  Greenwich. 

We  will  hero  step  ahead  of  our  narrative  to  observe,  that 
about  throe  years  after  the  time  of  which  we  are  treating,  Mr. 
Robert  Campbell,  formerly  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Com- 
pany, descended  the  Platte  from  this  fork,  in  skin  canoes, 
thus  provu.g,  what  had  always  been  discredited,  that  the  river 
was  navigable.  About  the  same  time,  he  built  a  fort  or  trad- 
ing post  at  Laramie's  Fork,  which  he  named  Fort  William, 
after  his  friend  and  partner,  Mr.  William  Sublette.  Since 
that  time,  the  Platte  has  become  a  highway  for  the  fur 
traders. 

For  some  days  past,  Captain  Bonneville  had  betn  made 
sensible  of  the  great  el«;vation  of  country  into  which  he  waa 
grarlnahy  ascending,  by  the  jffect  of  the  dryness  and  rare- 
faction of  the  atmosphere  upon  his  wagons.  The  woodwork 
shrunk;  the  paint  boxes  of  the  wheels  were  continually  work- 
ing out,  and  it  was  necessary  to  support  the  spokes  by  stout 
props  to  prevent  their  falling  asunder.  The  travellers  were 
now  entering  one  of  those  great  steppes  of  the  Far  Wect, 
whore  the  prevalent  aridity  of  the  atmosphere  rend(*rs  the 
country  unfit  for  cultivation.  In  these  regions  there  is  } 
fresh  sweet  growth  of  gi'ass  in  the  spring,  but  it  is  scanty  and 
short,  and  parches  up  in  the  course  of  the  8umn|ci',  so  that 
ther»j  is  none  for  the  hunters  to  set  fire  to  in  the  autumn.    It 


i 

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i' 


40 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BOyNEVlLLE. 


is  a  common  observation  that  "  above  the  forks  of  the  Platte 
the  grass  does  not  burn."  All  attempts  at  agriculture  and 
gardening  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fort  "William  have  been 
attended  with  very  little  success.  The  grain  and  vegetables 
raised  there  have  been  scanty  in  quantity  and  poor  in  quality. 
The  great  elevation  of  these  plains,  and  the  dryness  of  the 
atmosphere,  wiQ  tend  to  retain  these  immense  regions  in  a 
state  of  pristine  wildness. 

In  the  course  of  a  day  or  two  more,  the  travellers  en1;ered 
that  wild  and  broken  tract  of  the  Crow  country  called  the 
Black  HUls,  and  here  their  journey  became  toilsome  in  the 
extreme.  Rugged  steeps  and  deep  ravines  incessantly  ob- 
structed their  progress,  so  that  a  great  part  of  the  day  was 
spent  in  the  painful  toil  of  digging  through  banks,  filling  up 
ravines,  forcing  the  wagons  up  the  most  forbidding  ascents,  or 
swinging  them  with  ropes  down  the  face  of  dangerous  precf 
pices.  The  shoes  of  their  horses  were  worn  out,  and  their  feet 
injured  by  the  rugged  and  stony  roads.  The  travellers  were 
annoyed  also  by  frequent  but  brief  storms,  which  would  come 
hurrying  over  the  hills,  or  through  the  mountain  defiles,  rage 
with  great  fury  for  a  short  time,  and  then  pass  off,  leaving 
everything  calm  and  serene  again. 

For  several  nights  the  camp  hr  been  infested  by  vagabond 
Indian  dogM,  prowling  about  in  quest  of  food.  They  were 
about  the  size  of  a  large  pointer-  with  ears  short  and  erect, 
and  a  long  bushy  tail — altogether,  they  bore  a  striking  resem- 
blance to  a  wolf.  These  skulking  visitors  would  keep  about 
the  purlieus  of  the  camp  until  daylight ;  when,  on  the  first  stir 
of  life  among  the  sleepers,  they  would  scamper  ofl:  until  they 
reached  some  rising  ground,  where  they  would  take  their 
seats,  and  keep  a  sharp  and  hungry  watch  upon  every  move- 
ment. The  moment  the  travellei's  were  ^airly  on  the  march, 
and  the  camp  was  abandoned,  these  starveling  hangers-on 
would  hasten  to  the  deserted  fires  to  seize  upon  the  half-picked 
bones,  the  offal  and  garbage  that  lay  about ;  and,  having  made 
a  hasty  meal,  with  many  a  snap  and  snarl  and  growl,  would 
follow  leisurely  on  the  trail  of  the  caravan.  Many  attempts 
were  made  to  coax  or  catch  them,  but  in  vain.  Their  quick 
and  suspicious  eyes  caught  the  slightest  sinister  movement,  and 
they  turned  and  scampered  off.  At  length  one  was  taken. 
He  was  terribly  alarmed,  and  crouched  and  trembled  as  if 
expecting  instant  death.  Soothed,  however,  by  caresses^,  he 
began  after  a  time  to  gather  confidence  and  wag  his  tail,  .ind 


'M 


w^. 


AhrENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


41 


le  Platte 
ure  and 
-ve  been 
getabljs 
quality. 
8  of  the 
>ns  in  a 

entered 
lied  the 
3  in  the 
itly  ob- 
iay  was 
Jling  up 
ents,  cr 
s  precf 
leir  feet 
rs  were 
Id  come 
?s,  rage 
leaving 

^abond 

were 

erect, 

reseni- 

about 

•st  stir 

they 

their 

move- 

larch, 

ers-oii 

ticked 

made 

vould 

mpts 

uick 

and 

iken. 

as  if 

,  he 

.Tud 


at  length  was  brought  to  follow  close  at  the  heels  of  his 
captors,  still,  however,  darting  around  furtive  and  suspicious 
glances,  and  evincing  a  disposition  to  ^camper  off  upon  the 
least  alarm. 

On  the  first  of  July  the  band  of  Crow  warriors  again  crossed 
their  path.  They  came  in  vaunting  and  vainglorious  style; 
displaying  five  Cheyenre  scalps,  the  trophies  of  their  ven- 
geance. They  were  now  bound  homeward,  to  api>ease  the 
manes  of  their  comrade  by  these  proofs  tht*u  his  death  had 
been  revenged,  and  intended  to  have  scalp  dances  and  other 
triumphant  rejoicings.  Captain  Bonneville  and  his  men,  how- 
ever, were  by  no  means  disposed  to  renew  their  confiding 
intimCvCy  with  these  crafty  savages,  and  above  all,  took  care 
to  avoid  their  pilfering  caresses.  They  remarked  one  pre- 
caution of  the  Crows  with  respect  to  their  horses;  to  protect 
their  hoofs  from  the  sharp  and  jagged  rocks  among  which 
they  had  to  pass,  they  bad  covered  them  with  shoes  of  buffalo 
hide. 

The  route  of  the  travellers  lay  generally  along  the  course  of 
the  Nebraska  or  Platte,  but  occasionally,  whei-e  steep  prom- 
ontories advanced  to  the  margin  of  the  stream,  they  were 
obUged  to  make  inland  circuits.  One  of  these  took  them 
through  a  bold  and  stern  country,  bordered  by  a  range  of  low 
mountains,  running  east  and  west.  Everything  around  bore 
traces  of  some  fearful  convulsion  of  nature  in  times  long  past. 
Hitherto  the  various  strata  of  rock  had  exhibited  a  gentle 
elevation  toward  the  southwest,  but  here  everything  appeared 
'  o  have  been  subverted,  and  thrown  out  of  place.  In  many 
places  there  were  heavy  beds  of  white  sandstone  resting  upon 
id.  Immense  strata  of  rocks  jutted  up  into  crags  and  cliffs; 
ar  I  sometimes  formed  perpendicular  walls  and  overhanging 
precipices.  An  air  of  sterility  prevailed  over  these  savage 
wastes.  The  valleys  were  destitute  of  herbage,  and  scantily 
clotlu  1  with  a  stunted  species  of  wormwood,  generally  known 
among  traders  and  trappers  by  the  name  of  sago.  From  an 
elevated  point  of  their  march  through  this  region,  the  travel- 
lers caught  a  beautiful  view  of  the  Powder  Hock  Mountains 
away  to  the  north,  stretching  along  the  very  verge  of  the 
horizon,  and  seeming,  from  the  snow  with  which  they  were 
mantled,  to  be  a  chain  of  small  white  clouds  connecting  sky 
and  earth. 

Though  the  thermometer  at  mid-day  ranged  from  eighty  to 
ninety,  and  even  sometimes  rose  to  ninety-three  degrees,  yet 


43 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


iii 


occasional  spots  of  snow  were  to  be  seen  on  the  tops  of  tli« 
low  mountains,  among  which  the  travellei*s  were  journeying; 
proofs  of  the  great  elevation  of  the  whole  region. 

The  Nebraska,  in  its  passage  through  the  Black  Hills,  is 
confined  to  a  much  narrower  chamiel  than  that  through  which 
it  flows  in  the  plains  below ;  but  it  is  deeper  and  clearer,  and 
rushes  with  a  stronger  current.  The  scenery,  also,  is  more 
varied  and  beautiful.  Sometimes  it  glides  rapidly  but  smoothly 
through  a  picturesque  valley,  between  wooded  banks;  then, 
forcing  its  way  into  the  bosom  of  rugged  moiuitains,  it  rushes 
impetuously  through  narrow  defiles,  roaring  and  foaming  down 
rocks  and  rapids,  until  it  is  again  soothed  to  rest  in  some  peace- 
ful valley. 

On  the  12th  of  i  'aptain  Bonneville  abandoned  the  main 
stream  of  the  Nebrj.  ;,  which  was  continually  shouldered  by 
rugged  promontories,  and  making  a  bend  to  the  southwest,  for 
a  couple  of  days,  part  of  the  time  over  plains  of  loose  sand,  en- 
camped on  the  14th  on  the  banks  of  the  Sweet  Water,  a  stream 
about  twenty  yards  in  breadth,  and  four  or  five  feet  deep, 
flowing  between  low  banks  over  a  sandy  soil,  and  forming  one 
of  the  forks  or  upper  branches  of  the  Nebraska.  Up  this 
stream  they  now  shaped  their  course  for  several  successive 
days,  tending  generally  to  the  west.  The  soil  was  light  and 
sandy ;  the  country  much  diversified.  Frequently  the  plains 
were  studded  with  isolated  blocks  of  rock,  sometimes  in  the 
shape  of  a  half  globe,  and  from  three  to  four  hundred  feet  high. 
These  singular  masses  had  occasionally  a  very  imposing,  and 
even  sublime  appearance,  rising  from  the  midst  of  a  savage  and 
lonely  landscape. 

As  the  travellers  continued  to  advance,  they  became  more 
and  more  sensible  of  the  elevation  of  the  country.  The  hills 
around  were  more  generally  capped  with  snow.  The  men 
complained  of  cramps  and  colics,  sore  lips  and  mouths,  and  vio- 
lent headaches.  The  wood-work  of  the  wagons  also  shrank  so 
much  that  it  was  with  difficulty  the  wheels  were  kept  from 
falling  to  pieces.  The  coimtry  bordering  upon  the  river  was 
frequently  gashed  with  deep  ravines,  or  travei-sed  by  high 
bluffs,  to  avoid  which  the  travellers  were  obliged  to  make  wide 
circuits  through  the  plains.  In  the  course  of  these,  they  camo 
upon  immense  herds  of  buffalo,  which  kept  scouring  off  in  the 
van,  like  a  retreating  army. 

Among  the  motley  retainers  of  the  camp  was  Tom  Cain,  a 
raw  Irishman,  who  officiated  as  cook,  whose  various  bhmdero 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


43 


and  expedients  in  his  novel  situation,  and  in  the  wild  scenes 
and  wild  kind  of  life  into  which  he  had  suddenly  been  thrown, 
had  made  him  a  kind  of  butt  or  droll  of  the  camp.  Tom,  how- 
ever ')egan  to  discover  an  ambition  superior  to  his  station; 
and  tlie  conversation  of  the  hunters,  and  their  stories  of  their 
exploits,  inspired  him  with  a  desire  to  elevate  himself  to  the 
dignity  of  their  order.  The  buffalo  in  such  immense  droves 
presented  a  tempting  opportunity  for  making  his  first  essay. 
He  rode,  in  the  line  of  march,  all  prepared  for  action:  his 
powder  flask  and  shot-pouch  knowingly  slung  at  the  pommel 
of  his  saddle,  to  be  at  hand ;  his  rifle  balanced  on  his  shoulder. 
While  in  this  plight  a  troop  of  buffalo  came  trotting  by  in  great 
alarm.  In  an  instant,  Tom  sprang  from  his  horse  and  gave 
chase  on  foot.  Finding  they  were  leaving  him  beliind,  he 
levelled  his  rifle  and  pulled  trigger.  His  shot  produced  no 
other  effect  than  to  increase  the  speed  of  the  buffalo,  and  to 
frighten  his  own  horse,  who  took  to  his  heels,  and  scampered 
off  witn  all  the  ammunition.  Tom  scampered  after  him,  hal- 
looing with  might  and  main,  and  the  wild  horse  and  wild  Irish- 
man soon  disappeared  among  the  ravines  of  the  prairie.  Cap- 
tain Bonneville,  who  was  at  the  head  of  the  line,  and  had  seen 
the  transaction  at  a  distance,  detached  a  party  in  pursuit  of 
Tom.  After  a  long  int  jrv-al  they  returned,  leading  the  fright- 
ened horse;  but  though  they  had  scoured  the  country,  and 
looked  out  and  shouted  from  every  height,  they  had  seen 
nothing  of  his  rider. 

As  Captain  Bonneville  knew  Tom's  utter  awkwardness  and 
inexperience,  and  the  dangers  of  a  bewilderied  Irishman  in  the 
midst  of  a  prairie,  he  halted  and  encamped  at  an  early  hour, 
that  there  might  be  a  regular  hunt  for  him  in  the  morning. 

At  early  dawn  on  the  following  day  scouts  were  sent  off  in 
every  direction,  while  the  main  body,  after  breakfast,  pro- 
ceeded slowly  on  its  course.  It  was  not  until  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon  that  the  hunters  returned,  with  honest  Tom  mounted 
behind  ons  of  them.  They  had  found  him  in  a  complete  state 
of  perplexity  and  amazement.  His  appearance  caused  shouts 
of  morriinent  in  the  camp ;  but  Tom  for  once  could  not  join 
in  the  mirth  raised  at  his  expense ;  he  was  completely  chap- 
fallen,  and  apparently  cured  of  the  hunting  mania  for  the  re  i 
of  his  life. 


.1. 


44 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVlLLh. 


CHAPTER  V. 


MAGNIFICENT  BCENERY— WIND  RIVER  MOUNTAINS— TREASURY  OP 
WATERS— A  BTRAY  HORSE— AN  INDIAN  TRAIL— TROUT  STREAMS 
— THE  GREAT  GREEN  RIVER  VALLEY— AN  ALARM— A  BAND  OP 
TRAPPERS— PONTENELLE,  HIS  INFORMATION — SUFFERINGS  OP 
THIRST — ENCAMPMENT  ON  THE  .^EEDS-KE-DEE — STRATEGY  OP 
RIVAL  TRADERS— FORTIFICATION  OF  THE  CAMP— THE  BLACK- 
FEET— BANDITTI  OP  THE  MOUNTAINS— THEIR  CHARACTER  AND 
HABITS. 

It  was  on  the  20th  of  July  that  Captam  Bonneville  first  came 
in  sight  of  the  grand  region  of  his  hopes  and  anticipations,  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  He  had  been  making  a  bend  to  the  south, 
to  avoid  bome  obstacles  along  the  river,  and  had  attained  a 
high,  rocky  ridge,  when  a  magnificent  prospect  burst  upon  his 
sight.  To  the  west  rose  the  Wind  River  Mountains,  with  their 
bleached  and  snowy  summits  towering  into  the  clouds.  These 
stretched  far  to  the  north-northwest,  until  they  melted  away 
into  what  appeared  to  be  faint  clouds,  but  which  the  experi- 
enced eyes  of  the  veteran  hunters  of  the  party  recognized  for 
the  rugged  mountaiiii  of  the  Yellowstone ;  at  the  feet  of  which 
extended  the  wild  Crow  country :  a  perilous,  though  profitable 
region  for  the  trapper. 

To  the  southwest  the  eye  ranged  over  an  immense  extent  of 
wilderness,  with  what  appeared  to  be  a  snowy  vapor  resting 
upon  its  horizon.  This,  however,  was  pointed  out  as  another 
branch  of  the  great  Chippewyan,  or  Rocky  chain ;  being  the 
Eutaw  Mountains,  at  whose  basis  the  wandering  tribe  of  hunt- 
ers of  the  same  name  pitch  their  tents. 

We  can  imagine  the  enthusiasm  of  the  worthy  captain,  when 
he  beheld  the  vast  and  mountainous  scene  of  his  adventurous 
enterprise  thus  suddenly  unveiled  before  him.  We  can  imagine 
with  what  feelings  of  awe  and  admiration  he  must  have  con- 
templated the  Wind  River  Sierra,  or  bed  of  mountains ;  that 
great  fountain-head  from  whose  springs,  and  lakes,  and  melted 
snows  some  of  those  mighty  rivei-s  take  their  rise,  which  wan- 
der over  hundreds  of  miles  of  varied  country  and  clime,  and 
find  their  way  to  the  opposite  waves  of  the  Atlantic  and  tho 
Pacific.  ^ 


ADVENTUnm  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


45 


The  Wind  Rivor  ^loiintains  arc,  in  fact,  amonp;  tho  moHt 
nrnuirkablc;  of  tho  whole  Rocky  chain;  and  would  aj>p(»ar  to  ho 
among  tho  loftiest.  They  form,  as  it  were,  a  great  bod  of 
mountains,  about  eighty  miles  in  length,  and  from  twenty  to 
thirty  in  breadth;  with  rugged  peaks,  coven^d  with  eternal 
snows,  and  deep,  narrow  valleys,  full  of  springs,  and  brooks, 
and  rock-bound  lakes.  From  this  gi-eat  treasury  of  watei-s 
issue  forth  limpid  streams  which,  augmenting  as  they  descend, 
become  main  tributaries  of  the  Missouri  on  tho  one  side,  and 
the  Columbia  on  the  other ;  and  give  rise  to  the  Seeds-ke-d(.'o 
Agio,  or  Green  River,  the  gnnit  Colorado  of  the  West,  that 
emi)ties  its  cun-ent  into  the  (lulf  of  California. 

The  Wind  River  Mountains  are  notorious  in  hunters'  and 
trappers'  stories:  their  rugged  defiles,  and  the  rough  tracts 
about  their  neighborhood,  having  been  lurking  places  for  tho 
pi'edatory  hordes  of  the  mountains,  and  scenes  of  rough  en- 
counter with  Crows  and  Blackfeet.  It  was  to  the  west  of 
these  mountains,  in  the  valley  of  the  Seeds-ke-dee  Agie,  or 
Green  River,  that  Captain  Bonneville  intended  to  make  a  halt, 
for  the  purpose  of  giving  repose  to  his  people  and  his  horses, 
after  their  weary  journeying ;  and  of  collecting  information 
as  to  his  future  couree.  This  Green  River  Valley,  and  its  im- 
mediate neighborhood,  as  we  have  already  observed,  formed 
tho  mrin  point  of  rendezvous,  for  the  present  year,  of  the  rival 
fur  companies,  and  the  motley  populace,  civilized  and  savage, 
connected  with  them.  Several  days  of  rugged  travel,  how- 
ever, yet  rema;ined  for  the  captain  and  his  men  before  they 
should  encamp  in  this  desired  resting-place. 

On  the  21st  of  July,  as  they  were  pursuing  their  courso 
through  one  of  the  meadows  of  the  Sweet  Water,  they  beheid 
a  horse  grazing  at  a  little  distance.  He  showed  no  alarm  at 
their  approach,  but  suffered  himself  quietly  to  bo  taken,  evinc- 
ing a  pei'fect  state  of  tameness.  The  scouts  of  the  party  wore 
instantly  on  tho  look-out  for  the  owners  of  this  animal,  lost 
some  dangerous  band  of  savages  miglit  bo  lurking  in  tho  vicin- 
ity. After  a  narrow  sean^h,  they  discovered  the  trail  of  an 
Indian  party,  which  had  evidently  passed  through  that  neigh- 
borhood but  recently.  Tho  horse  was  accordingly  taken  pos- 
session of,  as  an  estray ;  but  a  more  vigilant  watch  than  usual 
was  kept  round  the  camp  at  nights,  lest  his  former  owners 
shoidd  be  upon  the  prowl. 

Tho  travellers  had  now  attained  so  high  an  elevation,  that 
on  the  23d  of  July,  at  daybreak,  there  was  considerable  ice  in 


'I 


u 


It 


I 


46 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


the  water-buckets,  and  the  thermometer  stood  at  twenty-two 
degrees.  The  rarity  of  the  atmosphere  continued  to  affect  the 
wood-work  of  the  wagons,  and  the  wheels  were  incessantly 
falling  to  pieces,  A  remedy  was  at  length  devised.  The  tire 
of  each  wheel  was  taken  off;  a  hand  of  wood  was  nailed  round 
the  exterior  of  the  felloes,  the  tire  was  then  made  red  hot,  re- 
placed round  the  wheel,  and  suddenly  cooled  with  water.  By 
this  means,  the  whole  was  bound  together  with  groat  compact- 
ness. 

The  extreme  elevation  of  these  great  steppes,  which  range 
along  the  feet  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  takes  away  from  the 
seeming  height  of  their  peaks,  which  yield  to  few  in  the 
known  world  in  point  of  altitude  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

On  the  24th,  the  traveller  took  final  leave  of  the  Sweet 
Water,  and  keeping  westwardly,  over  a  low  and  very  rocky 
ridge,  one  of  the  most  southern  spurs  of  the  Wind  River  Moun- 
tains, they  encamped,  after  a  march  of  seven  hours  and  a  half, 
on  the  banks  of  a  small  clear  stream,  running  to  the  south,  in 
which  they  caught  a  number  of  fine  trout. 

The  sight  of  these  fish  was  hailed  with  pleasure,  as  a  sign 
that  they  had  reached  the  waters  which  flow  into  the  Pacific ; 
for  it  is  only  on  the  western  streams  of  the  Rocky  Mountains 
that  trout  are  to  be  taken.  The  stream  on  which  they  had 
thus  encamped  proved,  in  effect,  to  be  tributary  to  the  Seeds- 
ke-dee  Agie,  or  Green  River,  into  which  it  flowed,  at  some  dis- 
tance to  the  south. 

Captain  Bonneville  now  considered  himself  as  having  fairly 
passed  the  crest  of  the  Rocky  Mountains ;  and  felt  some  degree  of 
exultation  in  being  the  first  individual  that  had  crossed,  north 
of  the  settled  provinces  of  Mexico,  from  the  waters  of  the  At- 
lantic to  those  of  the  Pacific,  with  wagons.  Mr.  William  Sub- 
lette, the  enterprising  leader  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Com- 
pany, had,  two  or  three  years  previously,  reached  the  valley  of 
the  Wind  River,  which  lies  on  the  northeast  of  the  mountains; 
but  had  proceeded  with  them  no  further. 

A  vast  valley  now  spread  itself  before  the  travellers, 
bounded  on  one  side  by  the  Wind  River  Mountains,  and  to  the 
west  by  a  long  range  of  high  hills.  This,  Captain  Bonneville 
was  assured  hj  a  veteran  hunter  in  his  company,  was  the  great 
valley  of  the  Seeds-ke-dee;  and  the  same  informant  would  have 
fain  persuaded  him  that  a  small  stream,  three  feet  deep,  which 
he  came  to  on  the  25th,  was  that  river.  The  captain  was  con- 
vinced, however,  that   the  stream  was  too  insignificant  to 


ADVENTUliES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


47 


drain  so  wide  a  valley  and  the  adjacent  mountains:  he  en- 
camped, therefore,  at  an  early  hour,  on  its  borders,  that  he 
might  take  the  whole  of  the  next  day  to  reach  the  main  river; 
which  he  presumed  to  flow  between  him  and  the  distant  range 
of  western  hills. 

On  the  2Gth  of  July  he  commenced  his  march  at  an  early 
hour,  making  directly  across  the  valley,  toward  the  hills  in  the 
west ;  proceeding  at  as  brisk  a  rate  as  the  jaded  condition  of 
his  horses  would  permit.  About  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning 
a  great  cloud  of  dust  was  descried  in  the  rear,  advancing 
directly  on  the  trail  of  the  party.  The  alarm  was  given ;  they 
all  came  to  a  halt,  and  held  a  council  of  war.  Some  conjec- 
tured that  the  band  of  Indians,  whose  trail  they  had  discovered 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  stray  horse,  had  been  lying  in  wait 
for  them,  in  some  sacret  fastness  of  the  mountains;  and  were 
about  to  attack  them  on  the  open  plain,  where  they  would 
have  no  shelter  Preparations  were  immediately  made  for  de- 
fence; and  a  scouting  party  sent  off  to  reconnoitre.  They 
soon  came  galloping  back,  making  signals  that  all  was  well. 
The  cloud  of  dust  was  made  by  a  band  of  fifty  or  sixty  mounted 
trappers,  belonging  to  the  American  Fur  Company,  who  soon 
came  up,  leading  their  pack-horses.  They  wore  headed  by  Mr. 
Fontenelle,  an  experienced  leader,  or  "  partisan,"  as  a  chief  of 
a  party  is  called  in  the  technical  language  of  the  trappers. 

Mr.  Fontenelle  infonned  Captain  Bonneville  that  he  was  on 
his  way  from  the  company's  trading  post  on  the  Yellowstone  to 
the  yearly  rendezvous,  with  reinforcements  ar  ,'  supplies  for 
their  hunting  and  trading  parties  beyond  the  mountains ;  and 
that  he  expected  to  meet,  by  appointment,  with  a  band  of  free 
trappers  in  that  very  neighborhood.  He  had  fallen  upon  the 
trail  of  Captain  Bonneville's  party,  just  after  leaving  the  Ne- 
braska ;  and,  finding  that  they  had  frightelied  off  all  the  gamo, 
had  been  obhged  to  push  on,  by  forced  marches,  to  avoid 
famine;  both  men  and  horses  were,  therefore,  much  travel- 
worn;  but  this  was  no  place  to  halt;  tl  9  plain  before  them  he 
said,  was  destitute  of  grass  and  water,  neither  of  which  would 
be  met  with  short  of  the  Green  River,  which  was  yet  at  a  con- 
siderable distance.  He  hoped,  he  added,  as  his  party  were  all 
on  horseback,  to  reach  the  river,  with  hard  travelling,  by 
nightfall;  but  he  doubted  the  possibility  of  Captain  Bonne 
ville's  arrival  there  with  his  wagons  before  the  day  following. 
Having  imparted  this  information,  ho  pushed  forward  with  oU 
speed. 


M 


48 


ADVE^TUliES  OB'  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


Captain  Bonneville  followed  on  as  fast  as  circumstances 
would  permit.  The  ground  was  firm  and  gravelly;  but  the 
horses  were  too  much  fatigued  to  move  rapidly.  After  a  long 
and  harassing  day's  march,  without  pausing  for  a  noontide 
meal,  they  were  compelled  at  nine  o'clock  at  night  to  encamp 
in  an  open  plain,  destitute  of  water  or  pasturage.  On  the  fol- 
lowing morning,  the  hoi^ses  were  turned  loose  at  the  peep  of 
day,  to  slake  their  thirst,  if  possible,  from  the  dew  collected 
on  the  sparse  grass,  here  and  there  springing  up  among  dry 
sand-banks.  The  soil  of  a  great  part  of  this  Green  River 
valley  is  a  whitish  clay,  into  which  the  rain  cannot  penetrate, 
but  which  d^ies  and  cracks  with  the  sun.  In  some  places  it 
produces  a  salt  weed,  and  grass  along  the  margins  of  the 
streams;  but  the  wider  expanses  of  it  are  desolate  and  baiTen. 
It  was  not  until  ^'  jn  that  Captain  Bonneville  reached  the 
banks  of  the  Seeds-ke-dee,  or  Colorado  of  the  West;  in  the 
mean  time,  the  sufferings  of  both  men  and  horses  had  been 
excessive,  and  it  was  with  almost  frantic  eagerness  that  they 
hurried  to  aUay  their  burning  thirst  in  the  limpid  current  of 
the  river. 

Trntenelle  and  his  party  had*  not  fared  much  better;  the 
diief  part  had  managed  to  reach  '»}he  river  by  nightfall,  but 
were  nearly  knocked  up  by  the  exertion ;  the  horses  of  others 
sank  under  them,  and  they  were  obliged  to  pass  the  night  upon 
the  road. 

On  the  following  morning,  July  27,  Fontenelle  moved  his 
camp  across  the  river,  while  Captain  Bonneville  proceeded 
some  little  distance  below,  where  there  was  a  small  but  fresh 
meadow,  yielding  abundant  pasturage.  Here  the  poor  jaded 
horses  were  turned  out  to  graze,  and  take  their  rest:  the 
weary  journey  up  the  mountains  had  worn  them  down  in 
flesh  and  spirit ;  but*  this  last  march  across  the  thirsty  plain 
had  nearly  finished  tLom. 

The  captain  had  here  the  first  taste  of  the  boiisted  strategy 
of  the  fur  trade.  During  his  brief  but  social  ei  campment  in 
company  with  Fontenelle,  that  experienced  trapper  had  man- 
aged to  wir  over  a  number  of  Delaware  Indians  whom  the 
captain  har  brought  with  him,  by  offering  them  four  hundred 
dollars  eacl ,  for  the  ensuing  autumnal  hunt.  The  captain  was 
somewhat  astonished  when  he  saw  these  hunters,  on  whose 
services  he  had  calculated  securely,  suddenly  pack  up  their 
traps,  and  go  over  to  the  rival  camp.  That  he  might  in 
some  measure,  however,  be  even  with  his  competitor,  he  dis- 


'iiW 


ADVENTVllKS  01^  iAPTMN  noAAEVILLE. 


49 


patched  two  scouts  to  look  out  for  the  band  of  free  trappers 
■who  were  to  meet  Fontenelle  in  this  neighborhood,  and  to  en- 
deavor to  bring  them  to  his  camp. 

As  it  would  be  necessary  to  remain  some  time  in  this  neigh- 
borhood, that  both  men  and  horses  might  repose,  and  recruit 
their  strength;  and  as  it  was  a  region  full  of  danger.  Captain 
Bonneville  proceeded  to  fortify  his  camp  with  breastworks  of 
logs  and  pickets. 

These  precautions  were,  at  that  time,  peculiarly  necessary 
from  the  bands  of  Blackfeet  Indians  which  were  roving  about 
the  neighborhood.  These  savages  are  the  most  dangerous  ban- 
ditti of  the  mountains,  and  the  inveterate  foe  of  the  trappers. 
They  are  IshmaeUtes  of  the  first  order;  always  with  weapon 
in  hand,  ready  for  action.  The  young  braves  of  the  tribe,  who 
are  destitute  of  property,  go  to  war  for  booty ;  to  gain  horses, 
and  acquire  the  means  of  setting  up  a  lodge,  supporting  a 
family,  and  entitling  themselves  to  a  seat  in  the  public  coun- 
cils. The  veteran  warriors  fight  merely  for  the  love  of  the 
thing,  and  the  consequence  which  success  gives  them  among 
their  people. 

They  are  capital  horsemen,  and  are  generally  well  mounted 
on  short,  stout  horses,  similar  to  the  prairie  ponies  to  be  met 
with  at  St.  Louis.  When  on  a  war  party,  however,  they  go 
on  foot,  to  enable  them  to  skulk  through  the  country  with 
greater  secrecy ;  to  keep  in  thickets  and  ravines,  and  use  more 
adroit  subterfuges  and  stratagems.  Their  mode  of  warfare  is 
entirely  by  ambush,  surprise,  and  sudden  assaults  in  the  night 
time.  If  they  succeed  in  causing  a  panic,  they  dash  forward 
with  headlong  fury :  if  the  enemy  is  on  the  alert,  and  shows 
no  signs  of  fear,  they  become  wary  and  deliberate  in  their 
movements. 

Some  of  them  are  armed  in  the  primitive  style,  with  bows 
and  arrows;  the  greater  part  have  American  fusees,  made 
after  the  fashion  of  those  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 
These  they  procure  at  the  trading  post  of  the  American  Fur 
Company,  on  Marias  River,  where  they  traffic  their  peltries 
for  arms,  ammunition,  clothing,  and  trinkets.  They  are  ex- 
tremely fond  of  spirituous  liquors  and  tobacco;  for  which 
nuisances  they  are  ready  to  exchange,  not  merely  their  guns 
and  horses,  but  even  their  wives  and  daughters.  As  they  are 
a  treacherous  race,  and  have  cherished  a  lurking  hostility  to 
the  whites  ever  since  one  of  their  tribe  was  killed  by  Mr. 
Lewis,  the  associate  of  Greneral  Clarke  in  his  exploring  expedi- 


lA] 


60 


ADVENTURERS  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


tion  across  the  Rocky  Mountains,  the  American  Fur  Company 
is  obliged  constantly  to  keep  at  that  post  a  garrison  of  sixty  or 
seventy  men. 

Under  the  general  name  of  Blackfeet  are  comprehended  sev- 
eral tribes:  such  as  the  Surcies,  the  Peagans,  the  Blood  Indians, 
and  the  Gros  Ventres  of  the  Prairies:  who  roam  about  the 
southern  branches  of  the  Yellowstone  and  Missouri  Rivers, 
together  with  some  other  tribes  further  north. 

The  bands  infesting  the  Wind  River  Mountains,  and  the 
countiy  adjacent,  at  the  time  of  which  we  are  treating,  were 
Gros  Ventres  of  the  Prairies,  which  are  not  to  be  confounded 
with  Gros  Ventres  of  the  Missouri,  who  keep  about  the  lower 
part  of  that  river,  and  are  friendly  to  the  white  men. 

This  hostile  band  keeps  about  the  head  waters  of  the  Mis- 
souri, and  numbers  about  nine  hundred  fighting  men.  Once 
in  the  course  of  two  or  three  years  they  abandon  their  usual 
abodes,  and  make  a  visit  to  the  Arapahoes  of  the  Arkansas. 
Their  route  lies  either  through  the  Crow  country,  and  the 
Black  Hills,  or  through  the  lands  of  the  Nez  Perces,  Flatheads 
Bannacks,  and  Shoshonies.  As  they  enjoy  their  favorite  stat 
of  hostihty  with  all  these  tribes,  their  expeditions  are  prone  to 
be  conducted  in  the  most  lawless  and  predatory  style ;  nor  do 
they  hesitate  to  extend  their  maraudings  to  any  party  of  white 
men  they  meet  with;  following  their  trails;  hovering  about 
their  camps ;  waylaying  and  dodging  the  caravans  of  the  free 
traders,  and  murdering  the  solitary  trapper.  The  conse- 
quences are  frequent  and  desperate  fights  between  them  and 
the  "mountaineers,"  in  the  wild  defiles  and  fastnesses  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains. 

The  band  in  question  was,  at  this  time,  on  their  way  home- 
ward from  one  of  their  customary  visits  to  the  Arapahoes; 
and  in  the  ensuing  chapter  we  shall  treat  of  some  bloody  en- 
counters between  them  and  the  trappers,  which  had  taken 
place  just  before  the  arrival  of  Captain  Bonneville  among  the 
mountains. 


ADVEJS'TUIiliS  OF  CAPTAIN  BONXEVILLE. 


51 


CHAPTER  VI. 


SrBLETTE  AND  HIS  BAND— ROBERT  CAMPBELL— MR.  WYETH  AND 
A  BAND  OP  "  DO WN-EASTERS"— YANKEE  ENTERPRISE— FITZ- 
PATRICK— HIS  ADVENTURE  WITH  THE  BLACKFEET— A  RENDEZ- 
VOUS OF  MOUNTAINEERS— THE  BATTLE  OF  PIERRE'S  HOLE— AN 
INDIAN       IBUSCADE— SUBLETTE'S  RETURN. 

Leaving  Captain  Bonneville  and  his  band  ensconced  within 
their  fortified  camp  in  the  Green  River  valley,  we  shall  step 
back  and  accompany  a  party  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Com- 
pany in  its  progress,  with  supplies  from  St.  Louis,  to  the 
annual  rendezvous  at  Pierre's  Hole.  This  party  consisted  of 
sixty  men,  well  mounted,  and  conductini:^  a  line  of  pack-horses. 
Thev  wore  commanded  by  Captain  W  illiam  Sublette,  a  part- 
ner in  the  company,  and  one  of  the  most  active,  intrepid,  and 
renowned  leaders  in  this  half  military  kind  of  service.  Ha 
was  accompanied  by  his  associate  in  business,  and  tried  com- 
panion in  danger,  Mr.  Robert  Campbell,  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
the  trade  beyond  the  mountains,  who  had  commanded  trap- 
ping parties  there  in  times  of  the  greatest  peril. 

As  these  worthy  compeers  were  on  their  route  to  the  fron- 
tier, they  fell  in  with  another  expedition,  likewise  on  its  way 
to  the  mountains.  This  was  a  party  of  regular  "down- 
easters,"  that  is  to  say,  people  of  New  England  who,  with  the 
all-penetrating  and  all-pervading  spirit  of  their  race  were  now 
pushing  their  way  into  a  new  f  eld  of  enterprise  with  which 
they  were  totally  unacquainted.  The  party  had  been  fitted 
out  and  was  maintained  and  commanded  by  Mr.  Nathaniel  J. 
Wyeth,  of  Boston.*  This  gentleman  had  conceived  an  idea 
that  a  profitable  fishery  for  salmon  might  be  established  on  the 
Columbia  River,  and  connected  with  the  fur  trade.  He  had, 
accordingly,  invested  capital  in  goods,  calculated,  as  he  sup- 
posed, for  the  Indian  trade,  and  had  enlisted  a  number  of 
eastern  men  in  his  employ,  who  had  never  beLui  in  the  Far 
West,  nor  knew  anything  of ][the  wiMerness.  With  these  he 
was  bravely  steering  his  way  across  the  continent,  undismayed 


*  In  the  former  editions  of  this  work  we  have  erroneously  given  this  enterprising 
individual  the  title  of  captain. 


62 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


by  danger,  difficulty,  or  distance,  in  the  same  way  that  a  New 
England  coaster  and  his  neighboi-s  will  coolly  launch  forth  on 
a  voyage  to  the  Black  Sea  or  a  whaling  f^ruise  to  the  Pacific. 

With  all  their  national  aptitude  at  expedient  and  resource, 
Wyeth  and  his  men  felt  themselves  completely  at  a  loss  when 
they  reached  the  frontier,  rnd  found  that  the  wilderness  re- 
quired experience  and  habitudes  of  which  they  were  totally 
deficient.  Not  one  of  the  party,  excepting  the  leader,  had  ever 
seen  an  Indian  or  handled  a  rifie ;  they  were  without  guide  or 
interpreter,  and  totally  unacquainted  with  "wood  craft  "and 
the  modes  of  making  their  way  among  savage  hordes,  and  sub- 
sisting themselves  during  long  marches  over  wild  mountains 
and  barren  plains. 

In  this  predicament,  Captain  Sublette  found  them,  in  a  man- 
ner becalmed,  or  rather  run  aground,  at  the  little  frontier  town 
of  Independence  in  Missouri,  and  kindly  took  them  in  tow. 
The  two  parties  travelled  amicably  together;  the  frontier  men 
of  Sublette's  party  gave  their  Yankee  comrades  some  lessons 
in  hunting,  and  some  insight  into  tue  art  and  mystery  of  deal- 
ing with  the  Indians,  and  they  all  arrived  without  accident  at 
the  upper  branches  of  the  Nebraska  or  Platte  Eiver. 

In  the  course  of  their  march,  Mr.  Fitzpatrick,  the  partner  of 
the  company  who  was  resident  at  that  time  beyond  the  moun- 
tains, came  down  from  the  rendezvous  at  Pierre's  Hole,  to 
meet  them  and  bui  ry  them  forward.  He  travelled  in  company 
with  them  until  they  reached  the  Sweet  Water ;  then  taking  a 
couple  of  horses,  one  for  the  saodle  and  the  other  as  a  pack- 
horse,  he  started  off  express  for  Pierre's  Hole,  to  make  arrange- 
ments against  their  arrival,  that  he  might  commence  his 
hunting  campaign  before  the  rival  company. 

Fitzpatrick  was  a  hardy  and  experienced  mountaineer,  and 
knew  all  the  passes  and  defiles.  As  he  was  pursuing  his  lonely 
course  iip  the  Green  River  valley,  he  descried  several  horse- 
men at  a  distance,  and  came  to. a  halt  to  reconnoitre.  He  sup- 
posed them  to  be  some  detachment  from  the  rendezvous,  or  a 
party  of  friendly  Indians.  Tlioy  perceived  him,  and  setting 
up  the  war-whooPi  dashed  forward  at  full  speed;  he  saw  at 
once  his  mistake  and  his  peril  —they  were  Blackfeet.  Spring- 
ing upon  his  fleetest  horse,  and  abandoning  the  other  to  the 
enemy,  he  made  for  the  mountains  and  succeeded  in  escaping 
up  one  of  the  most  dangerous  defiles.  Here  he  concealed 
himself  until  ho  thought  the  Indians  had  gojio  off,  when  ho 
returned   into  the  valley.    Ho  Wcis  again  pursued,  lost   hia 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


m 


remaining  horse,  and  only  escaped  by  scrambling  up  among 
the  clitfs.  For  several  days  he  remained  hirking  among  rocks 
and  precipices  and  almost  famished,  having  but  one  remain- 
ing charge  in  his  rifle,  which  he  kept  for  self-defence. 

In  the  meantime,  Sublette  and  Campbell,  with  their  fellow- 
traveller,  Wyeth,  had  pursued  their  march  unmolested,  and 
arrived  in  the  Green  River  valley,  totally  unconscious  that 
there  was  any  lurking  enemy  at  hand.  They  had  encamped 
one  night  on  the  banks  of  a  small  stream,  which  came  down 
from  the  Wind  River  Mountains,  when  about  midnight  a  band 
of  Indians  burst  upon  their  camp,  with  horrible  yells  and 
whoops,  and  a  discharge  of  guns  and  arrows.  Happily  no 
other  harm  wa-s  done  than  wounding  one  mule,  and  causing 
several  horses  to  break  loose  from  their  pickets.  The  camp 
was  instantly  in  arms ;  but  the  Indians  retreated  with  yells  of 
exultation,  carrying  off  several  of  the  horses  under  covert  of 
the  night. 

This  was  somewhat  of  a  disagreeable  foretaste  of  mountain 
life  to  some  of  Wyeth's  band,  accustomed  only  to  the  regular 
and  peaceful  life  of  New  England ;  nor  was  it  altogether  to  the 
taste  of  Captain  Sublette's  men,  who  were  chiefly  Creoles  and 
townsmen  from  St.  Louis.  They  continued  theii-  march  the 
next  morning,  keeping  scouts  ahead  and  upon  their  ilanks,  and 
arrived  without  further  molestation  at  Pierre's  Ho- 1. 

The  first  inquiry  of  Captain  Sublet  Le,  on  reaching  the  ren- 
dezvous, was  for  Fitzpatrick.  He  had  not  arrived,  nor  had 
any  intelligence  been  received  concerning  him.  Great  uneasi- 
ness was  now  entertained,  lest  he  should  have  fallen  into  the 
hands  of  the  Blackfeet  who  had  made  the  midnight  attack 
upon  the  camp.  It  was  a  matter  of  general  joy,  therefore, 
when  he  made  his  appearance,  conducted  by  two  half-breed 
Iroquois  hunters.  He  had  lurked  for  several  days  among  the 
mountains  until  almost  starved ;  at  lengtii  he  escaped  the  vigi- 
lance of  his  enemies  in  the  night,  and  was  so  fortunate  as  to 
meet  the  two  Iroquois  hunters  who,  being  on  horseback,  con- 
veyed him  without  further  difficulty  to  the  rendezvous.  Ho 
arrived  there  so  emaciated  that  he  could  scarcely  be  recog- 
nized. 

The  valley  called  Pierre's  Hole  is  about  thirty  miles  in  length 
an<l  fifteen  in  width,  bounded  to  the  west  and  south  by  low 
and  broken  ridges,  and  overlooked  to  the  east  by  three  lofty 
mountains  called  the  three  Tetons,  which  domineer  as  land- 
marks o\er  a  vast  extent  of  country. 


r^- 


^! 


i 


m 


54 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


A  fine  stream,  fed  by  rivulets  and  mountain  springs,  pours 
through  the  valley  toward  the  north,  dividing  it  into  nearly 
equal  parts.  The  meadows  on  its  borders  are  broad  and  ex- 
tensive, covered  with  willow  and  cottonwood  trees,  so  closely 
interlocked  and  matted  together  as  to  be  nearly  impassable. 

In  this  valley  was  congregated  the  motley  populace  connected 
with  the  fur  trade.  Here  the  two  rival  companies  had  their 
encampments,  with  their  retainers  of  all  kinds:  traders,  trap- 
pers, hunters,  and  half-breeds,  assembled  from  all  quarters, 
awaiting  their  yearly  supplies,  and  their  orders  to  start  off  in 
new  directions.  Here,  also,  the  savage  tribes  connected  with 
the  trade,  the  Nez  Perces  or  Chopunnish  Indians,  and  Flat- 
heads,  had  pitched  their  lodges  beside  the  streams,  and  with 
their  squaws,  awaited  the  distribution  of  goods  and  finery. 
There  was,  moreover,  a  band  of  fifteen  free  trappers,  com- 
manded by  a  gallant  leader  from  Arkansas,  named  Sinclair, 
who  held  their  encampment  a  little  apart  from  the  rest.  Such 
was  the  wild  and  heterogeneous  assemblage,  amounting  to 
several  hundred  men,  civilized  and  savage,  distributed  in  tents 
and  lodges  in  the  several  camps. 

The  arrival  of  Captain  Sublette  with  supplies  put  the  Rocky 
Mountain  Fur  Company  in  full  activity.  The  wares  and  mer- 
chandise were  quickly  opened,  and  as  quickly  disposed  of  to 
trappers  and  Indians ;  the  usual  excitement  and  revelry  took 
place,  after  which  aJl  hands  began  to  disperse  to  their  several 
destinations. 

On  the  17th  of  July,  a  small  brigade  of  fourteen  trappers,  led 
by  Milton  Sublette,  brother  of  the  captain,  set  out  with  the  in- 
tention of  proceeding  to  the  southwest.  They  were  accompa- 
nied by  Sinclair  and  his  fifteen  free  trappers:  Wyeth,  also,  and 
his  New  England  band  of  beaver  hunters  and  salmon  fishers, 
now  dwindled  down  to  eleven,  took  this  opportunity  to  prose- 
cute their  cruise  in  the  wilderness,  accompanied  with  such 
experienced  pilots.  On  the  first  day  they  proceeded  about 
eight  miles  to  the  southeast,  and  encamped  for  the  night,  still 
in  the  valley  of  Pierre's  Hole.  On  the  following  morning,  just 
as  they  were  raising  their  camp,  they  observed  a  long  line  of 
people  pouring  down  a  defile  of  the  mountains.  They  at  first 
supposed  them  to  be  Fontenelle  and  his  party,  whose  arrival 
had  been  daily  expected.  Wyeth,  however,  reconnoitred  them 
with  a  spy -glass,  and  soon  perceived  they  were  Indians.  They 
were  divided  into  two  parties,  forming,  in  the  whole,  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  persons,  men,  women  and  children. 


ADVEyTUnm  of  captain  BONyEVILLE. 


55 


Some  were  on  horseback,  fantastically  painted  and  arrayed, 
with  scarlet  blankets  fluttering  in  the  wind.  The  greater  part, 
however,  were  on  foot.  They  had  perceived  the  trappers 
before  they  were  themselves  discovered,  and  came  down  yell- 
ing and  whooping  into  the  plain.  On  nearer  approach  they 
were  ascertained  to  be  Blackfeet. 

One  of  the  trappers  of  Sublette's  brigade,  a  half-breed, 
named  Antoine  Godin,  now  mounted  his  horsv\  and  rode  forth 
as  if  to  hold  a  conference.  He  was  the  son  of  an  Iroquois 
hunter,  who  had  been  cruelly  murdered  by  the  Blackfeet  at  a 
small  stream  below  the  mountains,  which  still  bears  his  name. 
In  company  with  Antoine  rode  forth  a  Flathead  Indian,  whose 
once  power.cul  tribe  had»  been  completely  broken  down  in  their 
wars  with  the  Blackfeet.  Both  of  them,  therefore,  cherished 
the  most  vengeful  hostility  against  these  marauders  of  the 
mountains.  The  Blackfeet  came  to  a  halt.  One  of  the  chiefs 
advanced  singly  and  unarmed,  bearing  the  pipe  of  peace. 
This  overture  was  certainly  pacific ;  but  Antoine  and  the  Flat- 
head were  predisposed  to  hostihty,  and  pretended  to  consider 
it  {.r  treacherous  movement. 

"i!-:  your  piece  charged?"  said  Antoine  to  his  red  companion. 

"It  is." 

"  Then  cock  it  and  follow  me." 

They  met  the  Blackfoot  chief  hn^''  way,  who  extended  his 
hand  in  friendship.     Antoine  grasped  ii 

"  Fire !"  cried  he. 

The  Flathead  levelled  his  piece,  and  brouglit  the  Blackfwt 
to  the  ground.  Antoine  snatched  off  his  scarlet  blanket,  which 
was  richly  ornamented,  and  galloped  off  with  it  as  a  trophy 
to  the  camp,  the  bullets  of  the  enemy  whistling  after  him. 
The  Indians  immediately  threw  themselves  into  the  ed, '  •  of  a 
swamp,  among  willows  and  cotton  wood  trees,  interwoven  with 
vines.  Hero  they  began  to  fortify  themselves;  the  wotnon 
digging  a  trench,  and  throwing  up  a  breastwork  of  logs  id 
branches,  deep  hid  in  the  bosom  of  the  wood,  while  the  war- 
riors skirmished  at  the  edge  to  keep  the  trappers  at  bay. 

The  latter  took  their  station  in  a  ravine  in  front,  whence 
they  kept  up  a  scattering  firc;.  As  to  Wyeth,  and  his  little 
band  of  "down-casters,"  they  were  perfectly  astounded  by  this 
second  specimen  of  life  in  the  wilderness ;  the  men,  being  es- 
pecially unused  to  bush-fighting  nnd  the  use  of  the  rifle,  were 
at  a  loss  how  to  proceed.  Wyeth,  however,  acted  as  a  skilful 
commander.     He  got  nil  his  horses  into  camp  and  secured 


m 


66 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE, 


them;  then,  making  a  breastwork  of  his  packs  of  goods,  he 
charged  his  men  to  remain  in  garrison,  and  not  to  stir  out  of 
their  fort.  For  himself,  he  mingled  with  the  other  leaders, 
determined  to  take  his  share  in  the  conflict. 

In  the  meantime,  an  express  had  been  sent  off  to  the  roudez- 
vous  for  reinforcements.  Captain  Sublette  and  his  associate, 
Campbell,  were  ait  their  camp  when  the  express  came  galloping 
across  the  plain,  waving  his  cap,  and  giving  the  alarm ;  '  •  Black- 
feet  1  Blackfeet!  a  fight  in  the  upper  part  of  the  valley  !~to 
arms !  to  arms !" 

The  alarm  was  passed  from  camp  to  camp.  It  was  a  com- 
mon cause.  Every  one  turned  out  with  horse  and  rifle.  The 
Nez  Perces  and  Flatheads  joined.  A^  fast  as  horseman  could 
arm  and  mount  he  galloped  off;  the  valley  was  soon  aUve  with 
white  men  and  red  men  scouring  at  full  speed. 

Sublette  ordered  liis  men  to  keep  to  the  camp,  being  recmits 
from  St.  Louis,  and  unused  to  Indian  warfare.  He  and  his 
friend  Campbell  prepared  for  action.  Throwing  off  their 
coats,  rolling  up  their  sleeves,  and  arming  themselves  with 
pistols  and  rifles,  they  mounted  their  horses  and  dashed  for- 
ward among  the  first.  As  they  rode  along,  they  made  their 
wills  in  soldier-like  style ;  each  stating  how  his  effects  should 
be  disposed  of  in  case  of  his  death,  and  appointing  the  other 
his  executor. 

The  Blackfeet  warriors  had  supposed  the  brigade  of  MUton 
Sublette  all  the  foes  they  had  to  deal  with,  and  were  aston- 
ished to  behold  the  whole  valley  suddenly  swarming  with 
horsemen,  galloping  to  the  field  of  action.  They  withdrew 
into  their  fort,  which  was  completely  hid  from  sight  in  the 
»lark  and  tangled  wood.  Most  of  their  women  and  children 
had  retreated  to  the  mountains.  Tlie  trappers  now  sallied 
forth  and  approached  the  swamp,  firing  into  the  thickets  at 
random;  the  Blackfeet  had  a  better  sight  at  their  adversaries, 
who  were  in  the  open  field,  and.  a  half-breed  was  wounded  in 
the  shoulder. 

When  Captain  Subl^'tte  arrived,  he  urged  to  penetrate  the 
swamp  and  storm  the  fort,  but  all  hung  back  in  awe  of  the 
dismal  hoiToi*s  of  the  place,  and  the  danger  of  nttac^king  such 
desperadoes  in  their  savage  den.  The  very  Indian  allies, 
though  accustomed  to  bush-fighting,  regarded  it  as  almost 
impenetrable,  and  full  of  frightful  danger.  Sublette  was  not 
to  be  turned  from  his  purpose,  but  offered  to  had  the  way  into 
the  swamp,     Campbell  stepi)ed  forward  to  accompany  him. 


ADVENTURES  OP  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


57 


Before  entering  the  i)erilous  wood,  Sublette  took  his  brothers 
aside,  and  told  them  that  in  case  he  fell,  Campbell,  who  knew 
his  will,  was  to  be  his  executor.  This  done,  he  grasned  his  rifle 
and  pushed  into  the  thickets,  followed  by  Campbell.  Sinclair, 
the  partisan  from  Arkansas,  was  at  the  edge  of  tlie  wood  with 
his  brother  and  a  tew  of  his  men.  Excited  by  the  gallant  ex- 
ample of  the  two  friends,  he  pressed  forward  to  share  their 
dangers. 

The  swamp  was  produced  by  the  labors  of  the  beaver,  which, 
by  damming  up  a  stream,  had  inundated  a  portion  of  tlic  val- 
ley. The  i)lace  was  all  overgrown  with  woods  and  thickets, 
so  cloF<.*iy  matted  and  entangled  that  it  was  impossible  to  see 
ten  paces  ahead,  and  the  three  associates  in  peril  had  to  crawl 
along  one  after  another,  making  their  way  by  putting  the 
Iji'anches  and  vines  aside ;  but  doing  it  with  caution,  lest  they 
yhould  attract  the  eye  of  some  lurking  marksman.  They  took 
the  lead  by  turns,  each  advancing  about  twenty  yards  at  a 
time,  and  now  and  then  hallooing  to  their  men  to  follow. 
Some  of  the  latter  gradually  entered  the  swamp,  and  followed 
a  little  distance  in  their  rear. 

They  had  now  reached  a  more  open  part  of  the  wood,  and 
had  glimpses  of  the  rude  fortress  from  between  the  trees.  It 
was  a  mere  breastwork,  as  we  have  said,  of  logs  and  branches, 
with  blankets,  buffalo  robes,  and  the  leathern  covers  of  lodges 
extended  round  the  top  as  a  screen.  The  movements  of  the 
leaders,  as  they  groped  their  way,  had  been  descried  by  the 
sharp-sighted  enemy.  As  Sinclair,  who  was  in  the  advance, 
was  putting  some  branches  aside,  he  was  shot  through  the 
body.  He  fell  on  the  spot.  "Take  me  to  my  brother,"  said 
he  to  Campbell.  The  latter  gave  him  in  charge  to  some  of  the 
men,  who  conveyed  him  out  of  the  swamp. 

Sublette  now  took  the  advance.  As  he  was  reconnoitring 
the  fort,  he  perceived  an  Indian  peeping  through  an  aperture. 
In  an  instant  his  rifle  was  levelled  and  discharged,  and  the  ball 
struck  the  savage  in  the  eye.  While  he  was  reloading,  ho 
called  to  Campbell,  and  pointed  out  to  him  the  hole;  "  Watch 
that  place,"  said  he,  "  and  you  will  soon  have  a  fair  chance  for 
a  shot."  Scarce  had  he  uttered  tlie  words,  when  a  ball  struck 
him  in  the  shoulder,  and  almost  wheeled  him  round.  His  first 
thought  was  to  take  hold  of  his  arm  with  his  other  hand,  and 
movo  it  up  and  down.  He  ascertained,  to  his  satisfaction, 
that  the  bone  was  not  broken.  The  next  moment  ho  was  so 
faint  that  he  could  not  stand.    Campbell  took  liim  in  his  ariui 


■M  W 


III 


'  ^I: 


;  L 

'  ;■ 


f 

68 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


and  carried  him  out  of  the  thicket.  The  same  shot  that  struck 
Sublette  wounded  another  man  in  the  head. 

A  brisk  fire  was  now  opened  by  the  mountaineers  from  the 
wood,  answered  occasionally  from  the  fort.  Unluckily,  the 
trappers  and  their  allies,  in  searching  for  the  fort,  had  got 
scattered  so  that  Wyeth  and  a  number  of  Nez  Perces  ap- 
proached the  fort  on  the  northwest  side,  while  others  did  the 
same  on  the  opposite  quarter.  A  cross-fire  thus  took  place 
which  occasionally  did  mischief  to  friends  as  well  as  foes.  An 
Indian  was  shot  down  close  to  Wyeth,  by  a  ball  which,  he  was 
convinced,  had  been  sped  from  the  rifle  of  a  trapper  on  the 
other  side  of  the  fort. 

The  number  of  whites  and  their  Indian  allies  had  by  this 
time  so  much  increased  by  arrivals  from  the  rendezvous,  that 
the  Blackfeet  were  completely  overmatched.  They  kept  dog- 
gedly in  their  fort,  however,  making  no  offer  of  surrender. 
An  occasional  firing  into  the  breastwork  was  kept  up  during 
the  day.  Now  and  then  one  of  the  Indian  allies,  in  bravado, 
would  rush  up  to  the  fort,  fire  over  the  ramparts,  tear  off  a 
buffalo  robe  or  a  scarlet  blanket,  and  return  with  it  in  triumph 
to  his  comrades.  Most  of  the  savage  garrison  that  fell,  how- 
ever, were  killed  in  the  first  part  of  the  attack. 

At  one  time  it  was  resolved  to  set  fire  to  the  fort ;  and  the 
squaws  belonging  to  the  allies  were  employed  to  collect  com- 
bustibles. This,  however,  was  abandoned;  the  Nez  Percts 
being  unwilling  to  destroy  the  robes  and  blankets,  and  other 
spoils  of  the  enemy,  which  they  felt  sure  would  fall  into  their 
hands. 

The  Indians,  when  fighting,  are  prone  to  taunt  and  revile 
each  other.  During  one  of  the  pauses  of  the  battle  the  voice 
of  the  Blackfeet  chief  was  heard. 

"  So  long,"  said  he,  "as  we  had  powder  and  ball,  we  fought 
you  in  the  open  field :  when  those  were  spent,  we  retreated 
here  to  die  with  our  women  and  children.  You  may  burn  us 
in  our  fort ;  but,  stay  by  our  ashes,  and  you  who  are  so  hungry 
for  fighting  will  soon  have  enough.  There  are  four  hundred 
lodges  of  our  brethren  at  hand.  They  will  soon  be  here — their 
arms  are  strong — their  hearts  are  big — they  will  avenge  us !" 

This  speech  was  translated  two  or  three  times  by  Nez  Poi*c6 
and  Creole  interpreters.  By  the  time  it  was  rendered  into 
English,  the  chief  was  made  to  say  that  four  hundred  lodges 
of  his  tribe  were  attacking  the  encampment  at  the  other  end 
of  the  valley.    Every  one  now  was  for  hurrying  to  the  c 


■'•* 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


no 


fence  of  the  rendezvous.    A  party  was  left  to  keep  watch  upon 
the  fort ;  the  rest  galloped  off  to  the  camp.    As  night  came  on, 
the  trappers  drew  out  of  the  swamp,  and  remained  about  the 
skii-ts  of  the  wood.    By  morning,  their  companions  returned 
from  the  rendezvous,  with  the  report  that  all  was  safe.     As 
the  day  opened,  they  ventured  within  the  swamp  and  ap- 
proached the  fort.    All  was  silent.    They  advanced  up  to  it 
without  opposition.    They  entered :  it  had  been  abandoned  in 
the  night,  and  the  Blackfeet  had  effected  their  retreat,  carry- 
ing off  their  wounded  on  litters  made  of  branches,  leaving 
bloody  traces  on  the  herbage.    The  bodies  of  ten  Indians  were 
found  within  the  fort ;  among  them  the  one  shot  in  the  eye  by 
Sublette.    The  Blackfeet  afterward  reported  that  they  had  lost 
twenty-six  warriors  in  this  battle.     Thirty -two  horses  wore 
likewise  found  killed;  among  them  were  some  of  those  re- 
cently carried  off  from  Sublette's  party,  in  the  night ;  which 
showed  that  these  were  the  very  savages  that  had  attacked 
him.    They  proved  to  be  an  advance  parf  ^^  of  the  main  body 
of  Blackfeet,  which  had  been  upon  the  trail  of  Sublette's  party. 
Five  white  men  and  one  half-breed  were  killed,  and  several 
wounded.    Seven  of  the  Nez  Perces  were  also  killed,  and  six 
wounded.    They  had  an  old  chief  who  was  reputed  as  invul- 
nerable.   In  the  course  of  the  action  he  was  hit  by  a  spent 
ball,  and  threw  up  blood;  but  his  skin  was  unbroken.     His 
people  were  now  fully  convinced  that  he  was  proof  against 
powder  and  ball. 

A  striking  circumstance  is  related  as  having  occurred  the 
morning  after  the  battle.  As  some  of  the  trappers  and  their 
Indian  allies  were  approaching  the  fort,  through  the  woods, 
they  beheld  an  Indian  woman,  of  noble  form  and  features, 
leaning  against  a  tree.  Their  surprise  at  her  lingering  hero 
al(^ne,  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  her  enemies,  was  dispelled, 
when  they  saw  the  coi'pse  of  a  warrior  at  her  feet.  Either 
she  was  so  lost  in  grief  as  not  to  perceive  their  approach ;  or  a 
proud  spirit  kept  her  silent  and  motionless.  The  Indians  set 
up  a  yell,  on  discovering  her,  and  before  the  trappers  could  in- 
terfere, her  mangled  body  fell  upon  the  corpse  which  she  had 
refused  to  abandon.  "We  have  heard  this  anecdote  discredited 
by  one  of  the  leaders  who  had  been  in  the  battle :  but  the  fact 
may  have  taken  place  without  his  seeing  it,  and  been  con- 
cealed from  him.  It  is  an  instance  of  female  devotion,  even  to 
the  death,  which  we  are  well  disposed  to  believe  and  to  record. 

After  the  battle,  the  brigade  of  Milton  Sublette,  together 


• 


1: 


i-  i 


§M 


GO 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


with  the  free  trappers,  and  Wyeth's  New  England  hand,  re- 
mained some  days  at  the  rendezvous,  to  see  if  the  main  hody 
of  Blackfeet  intended  to  make  an  attack ;  nothing  of  the  kind 
occurring,  they  once  moj'e  put  themselves  in  motion,  and  pro- 
ceeded on  their  route  toward  the  southwest. 

Captain  Sublette  having  distributed  his  supplies,  had  in- 
tended to  set  off  on  his  return  to  St.  Louis,  taking  with  him 
the  peltries  collected  from  the  trappers  and  Indians.  His 
wound,  however,  obliged  him  to  postpone  his  departure.  Sev- 
eral who  were  to  have  accompanied  him  became  impatient 
of  this  delay.  Among  these  was  a  young  Bostonian,  Mr. 
Joseph  More,  one  of  the  followers  of  Mr.  Wyeth,  who  had  seen 
enough  of  mountain  life  and  savage  warfare,  and  was  eager  to 
return  to  the  abodes  of  civiUzation.  He  and  six  others,  among 
whom  were  a  Mr.  Foy,  of  Mississippi,  Mr.  Alfred  K.  Stephens, 
of  St.  Louis,  and  two  grandsons  of  the  celebrated  Daniel 
Boone,  set  out  together,  in  advance  of  Sublette's  party,  think- 
ing they  would  make  their  own  way  through  the  mountains; 

It  was  just  five  days  after  the  battle  of  the  swamp,  that 
these  seven  companions  were  making  their  way  through  Jack- 
son's Hole,  a  valley  not  far  from  the  three  Tetons,  when,  as 
they  were  descending  a  hill,  a  party  of  Blackfeet  that  lay  in 
ambush  started  up  with  terrific  yells.  The  horse  of  the  young 
Bostonian,  who  was  in  front,  wheeled  rounr^  with  affright,  and 
threw  his  unskilful  rider.  The  young  man  scrambled  up  the 
side  of  the  hill,  but,  unaccustomed  to  such  wild  scenes,  lost 
his  presence  of  mind,  and  stood,  as  if  paralyzed,  on  the  edge 
of  a  bank,  until  the  Blackfeet  came  up  and  slew  him  on  the 
spot.  His  comrades  had  fled  on  the  first  alarm;  but  two  of 
them,  Foy  <\nd  Stephens,  seeing  his  danger  paused  when  they 
got  half  way  up  the  hiU,  turned  back,  dismounted,  and  has^ 
tened  to  his  assistance.  Foy  was  instantly  killed.  Stephens 
was  severely  wounded,  but  escaped  to  die  five  days  afterward. 
The  survivors  returned  to  the  camp  of  Captain  Sublette,  bring' 
ing  tidings  of  this  new  disaster.  That  hardy  leader,  as  soon  ae 
he  could  bear  the  journey,  aet  out  on  his  return  to  St.  Louis, 
accompanied  by  Campbell,  As  they  had  a  number  of  pack- 
horses  richly  laden  with  peltriesi  to  convoy,  they  chose  a  dif- 
ferent route  through  the  mountains,  out  of  the  way,  as  they 
hoped,  of  the  lurking  bands  of  Blackfeet.  They  succeeded  in 
making  the  frontier  in  safety.  We  remember  to  have  seen 
them  with  their  band,  about  two  or  three  months  afterward, 
passing  through  a  skirt  of  woodland  in  the  upper  part  of  Mi* 


ADVENT UllES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


61 


Bouri.  Their  long  cavalcade  stretched  in  single  file  for  nearly- 
half  a  mile.  Sublette  still  wore  his  arm  in  a  sling.  The  moun- 
taineers in  their  rude  hunting  dresses,  armed  with  rifles  and 
roughly  mounted,  and  leading  their  pack-horses  down  a  hill  of 
the  forest,  looked  like  banditti  returning  with  plunder.  On 
the  top  of  some  of  the  packs  were  perched  several  half-breed 
children,  perfect  little  imps,  with  wild  black  eyes  glaring  from 
among  elf  locks.  These,  I  was  told,  were  children  of  the 
trappera;  pledges  of  love  from  their  squaw  spouses  in  the 
wilderness. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

RETREAT  OP  THE  BLACKFEET — FONTENELLE'S  CAMP  IN  DANGER 
— CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE  AND  THE  BLACKFEET — FREE  TRAPPERS 
— THEIR  CHARACTER,  HABITS,  DRESS,  EQUIPMENTS,  HORSES- 
GAME  FELLOWS  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS — THEIR  VISIT  TO  THE 
CAMP— GOOD  FELLOWSHIP  AND  GOOD  CHEER — A  CAROUSE — A 
SWAGGER,  A  BRAWL,   AND  A  RECONCIUATION. 

The  Blackfeet  warriors,  when  they  effected  their  midnight 
retreat  from  their  wild  fastness  in  Pierre's  Hole,  fell  back  into 
the  valley  of  the  Seeds-ke-dee,  or  Green  River,  where  they 
joined  the  main  body  of  their  band.  The  whole  force 
amounted  to  several  hundred  fighting  men,  gloomy  and  exas- 
perated by  their  late  disaster.  They  had  with  them  their 
wives  and  children,  which  incapacitated  them  from  any  bold 
and  extensive  enterprise  of  a  warlike  nature ;  bat  when,  in  the 
course  of  their  wanderings,  they  came  in  sight  of  the  encamp- 
ment of  Fontenelle,  who  had  moved  some  distance  up  Green 
River  valley  in  seatch  of  the  free  trappers,  they  put  up  tre- 
mendous war-cries,  and  advanced  fiercely  as  if  to  attack  it. 
Second  thoughts  caused  them  to  moderate  their  fury.  They 
recollected  the  severe  lesson  just  received,  and  could  not  but 
remark  the  strength  of  Fontenelle'g  position ;  which  had  been 
chosen  with  great  judgment.  A  formal  talk  ensued.  The 
Blackfeet  said  nothing  of  the  late  battle,  of  which  Fontenelle 
had  as  yet  received  no  accounts ;  the  lattor,  however,  knew  the 
hostile  and  perfidious  nature  of  these  savages,  and  took  care  to 
inform  them  of  the  encampment  of  Captain  Bonneville,  that 
they  might  know  there  were  more  white  men  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. 


'il 


it  t* 


i  <  < 


t 


63 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


ilt'i"' 


The  conference  ended,  Fontenelle  sent  a  Delaware  Indian  of 
his  party  to  conduct  fifteen  of  tlje  Blackfeet  to  the  camp  of 
Captain  Bonneville.  There  were  at  that  time  two  Crow  In- 
dians in  the  captain's  camp  who  had  recently  arrived  there. 
They  looked  with  dismay  upon  this  deputation  from  their  im- 
placable enemies,  and  gave  the  captain  a  terrible  character  of 
them,  assuring  him  that  the  best  thing  he  could  possibly  do 
was  to  put  those  Blackfeet  deputies  to  death  on  the  spot.  The 
captain,  however,  who  had  heard  nothing  of  the  conflict  at 
Pierre's  Hole,  declined  all  compliance  with  this  sage  counsel. 
He  treated  the  grim  warriors  with  his  usual  urbanity.  They 
passed  some  little  time  at  the  camp ;  saw,  no  doubt,  that  every- 
thing was  conducted  with  military  skill  and  vigilance ;  and 
that  such  an  enemy  was  not  to  be  easily  surprised,  nor  to  bo 
molested  with  impunity,  and  then  departed,  to  report  all  that 
they  had  seen  to  their  comrades. 

The  two  scouts  which  Captain  Bonneville  had  sent  out  to 
seek  for  the  band  of  free  trappers,  expected  by  Fontenelle,  and 
to  invite  them  to  his  camp,  had  been  successful  in  their  search, 
and  on  the  12th  of  August  those  worthies  made  their  appear- 
ance. 

To  explain  the  meaning  of  the  appellation  free  trapper  it  is 
necessary  to  state  the  terms  on  which  the  men  enlist  in  the 
service  of  the  fur  companies.  Some  have  regular  wages  and 
are  furnished  with  \.  eapons,  horses,  traps,  and  other  requisites. 
These  are  under  command,  and  bound  to  do  every  duty  re- 
quired of  them  connected  with  the  service;  such  as  hunting, 
trapping,  loading  and  unloading  the  horses,  mounting  guard ; 
and,  in  short,  all  the  drudgery  of  the  camp.  These  are  the 
hired  trappers. 

The  free  trappers  are  a  more  independent  class;  and  in  de- 
scribing them  we  shall  do  little  more  than  transcribe  the  gra- 
phic description  of  them  by  Captain  Bonneville.  "  They  come 
and  go,"  says  he,  "  when  and  where  they  please;  provide  their 
own  horses,  anns,  and  other  equipments;  trap  and  trade  on 
their  own  account,  and  dispose  of  their  skins  and  peltries  to 
the  highest  bidder.  Sometimes,  in  a  dangerous  hunting 
ground,  they  attach  themselves  to  the  camp  of  some  trader 
for  protection.  Here  they  come  under  some  restrictions ;  they 
have  to  conform  to  the  ordinary  rules  for  trapping,  and  to  sub- 
rait  to  such  restraints  and  to  take  part  in  such  general  duties 
as  are  established  for  the  good  order  and  safety  of  the  camp. 
In  return  for  this  protection,  and  for  their  camp  keeping,  they 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


63 


are  bound  to  dispose  of  all  the  beaver  they  take  to  the  trader 
who  commands  the  camp,  at  a  certain  rate  per  skin ;  or,  should 
they  prefer  seeking  a  market  elsewhere,  they  are  to  make  him 
an  allowance  of  from  thirty  to  forty  dollars  for  the  whole 
hunt." 

There  is  an  inferior  order  who,  either  from  prudence  or 
poverty,  come  to  these  dangerous  hunting  grounds  without 
horses  or  accoutrements,  and  are  finished  by  the  traders. 
These,  like  the  hired  trappers,  are  bound  to  exert  themselves 
to  the  utmost  in  taking  beanrer,  which,  without  skinning,  they 
render  in  at  the  trader's  lodge,  where  a  stipulated  price  for 
each  is  placed  to  their  credit.  These,  though  generally  in- 
cluded in  the  generic  name  of  free  trappers,  have  the  more 
specific  title  of  skin  trappers. 

The  wandering  whites  who  mingle  for  any  length  of  time 
vdi\\  the  savages  have  invariably  a  proneness  to  adopt  savage 
habitudes ;  but  none  more  so  than  the  free  trappers.  It  is  a 
matter  of  vanity  and  ambition  with  them  to  discard  every- 
thing that  may  bear  the  stamp  of  civilized  hfe,  and  to  adopt 
the  manners,  habits,  dress,  gesture,  and  even  walk  of  the  In- 
dian. You  cannot  pay  a  free  trapper  a  greater  compliment 
than  to  persuade  him  you  have  mistaken  him  for  an  Indian 
brave;  and  in  truth  the  counterfeit  is  complete.  His  hair, 
suffered  to  attain  to  a  great  length,  is  carefully  combed  out, 
and  either  left  to  fail  carelessly  over  his  shoulders,  or  plaited 
neatly  and  tied  up  in  otter  skins  of  parti-colored  ribbons.  A 
hunting-shirt  of  ruffled  calico  of  bright  dyes,  or  of  ornamented 
leather,  falls  to  his  knee:  below  which,  curiously  fashioned 
leggins,  ornamented  with  strings,  fringes,  and  a  profusion  of 
hawks'  bells,  reach  to  a  costly  pair  of  moccasons  of  the  finest 
Indian  fabric,  richly  embroidered  with  beads.  A  blanket  of 
scarlet,  or  some  other  bright  color,  hangs  from  his  shoulders, 
and  is  girt  round  his  waist  with  a  red  sash,  in  which  he  be- 
stows his  pistols,  knife,  and  the  stem  of  his  Indian  pipe ;  pre- 
parations either  for  peace  or  war.  His  gun  is  lavishly  deco- 
rated with  brass  tacks  and  vermilion,  and  provided  with  a 
fringed  cover,  occasionally  of  buckskin,  ornamented  here  and 
there  with  a  feather.  His  horse,  the  noble  minister  to  the 
pride,  pleasure,  and  profit  of  the  mdfhitaineer,  is  selected  for 
his  speed  and  spirit  and  prancing  gait,  and  holds  a  place  in  his 
estimation  second  only  to  himself.  He  shares  largely  of  hia 
bounty,  and  of  his  pride  and  pomp  of  trapping.  He  is  ca- 
parisoned in  the  most  dashing  and  fantastic  style ;  the  bridles 


M'': 


H 


J4. 


if, 

t 

{ 

4\ 


t 


w 


64 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


and  crupper  are  weightily  embossed  with  beads  and  cockades; 
and  head,  mane  and  tail  are  interwoven  with  abundance  of 
eagles'  plumes  which  flutter  in  the  wind.  To  complete  this 
grotesque  equipment,  the  proud  animal  is  bestreaked  and  be- 
spottod  with  vermilion,  or  with  white  clay,  whichever  presents 
the  most  glaring  contrast  to  his  real  color. 

Such  is  the  account  given  by  Captain  Bonneville  of  these 
rangere  of  the  wilderness,  and  their  appearance  at  the  camp 
was  str:l:inglv  characteristic.  They  came  dashing  forward  at 
full  speed,  firing  their  fusees  and  yelling  in  Indian  style.  Their 
dark  simbumed  faces,  and  long  flowing  hair,  their  leggins, 
flags,  moccasons,  and  richly-dyed  blankets,  and  their  painted 
horses  gaudily  caparisoned,  gave  them  so  much  the  air  and 
appearance  of  Indians  that  it  was  difficult  to  persuade  one's 
self  that  they  were  white  naen,  and  had  been  brought  up  in 
civilized  life. 

Captain  Bonneville,  who  was  delighted  with  the  game  look 
of  these  cavaUers  of  the  mountains,  wdcomed  them  heartily  to 
his  camp,  and  ordered  a  free  allowance  of  grog  to  regale  them, 
which  soon  put  them  in  the  most  braggart  spirits.  They  pro- 
nounced the  captain  the  finest  fellow  in  the  world,  and  his 
men  all  hons  gargons,  jovial  lads,  and  swore  they  would  pass 
the  day  with  them.  They  did  so ;  and  a  day  it  was,  of  boast, 
and  swagger,  and  rodomontade.  The  prime  bullies  and  braves 
among  the  free  trappers  had  each  his  circle  of  novices,  from 
among  the  captain's  band ;  mere  greenhorns,  men  unused  to 
Indian  life;  mangeurs  de  lard,  or  pork-eaters;  as  such  new- 
comers are  superciliously  called  by  the  veterans  of  the  wilder- 
ness. These  he  would  astonish  and  delight  by  the  hour,  with 
prodigious  tales  of  his  doings  among  the  Indians ;  and  of  the 
wonders  he  had  seen,  and  the  wonders  he  had  performed,  hi 
his  adventurous  peregrinations  among  the  mountains. 

In  the  evening,  the  free  trappers  drew  off,  and  returned  to  the 
camp  of  Fontenelle,  highly  delighted  with  their  visit,  and  with 
their  new  acquaintances,  and  promising  to  return  the  follow- 
ing day.  They  kept  their  word;  day  after  day  their  visits 
were  repeated;  they  became  "hail  fellow  weU  met"  with 
Captain  Bonneville's  men;  treat  after  treat  succeeded,  until 
both  parties  got  most  potently  convinced,  or  rather  con- 
founded, by  hquor.  N^ow  came  on  confusion  and  uproar.  The 
free  trappers  were  no  longer  suffered  to  have  all  the  swagger 
to  themselves.  The  camp  bullies  and  prime  trappers  of  the 
party  began  to  ruffle  up  and  to  brag,  in  turn,  of  their  perils 


'M,      """    •>*'■, 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


65 


ockades; 
dance  of 
lete  this 
and  be- 
presents 

of  these 
le  camp 
'ward  at 
I.  Their 
leggins, 
painted 
air  and 
de  one's 
it  up  in 

me  look 
irtily  to 
e  them, 
ley  pro- 
and  his 
lid  pass 
f  boast, 
I  braves 
?s,  from 
used  to 
!h  new- 
wilder- 
ir.  with 
i  of  the 
tned,  in 


and  achievements.  Each  now  tried  to  out-boast  and  out- 
talk  the  other;  a  quarrel  ensued,  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  a 
general  nght,  according  to  frontier  usage.  The  two  factions 
drew  out  their  forces  for  a  pitched  battle.  They  fell  to  work 
and  bclalored  each  other  Witii  might  and  main;  kicks  and 
cuffs  and  dry  blows  were  as  well  bestowed  as  they  were 
well  merited,  until,  having  fouglit  to  their  hearts'  content, 
and  been  drubbed  into  a  familiar  acquaintance  with  each 
other's  prowess  and  good  qualities,  they  ended  the  fight  by  be- 
coming firmer  friends  than  they  could  have  been  rendered  by 
a  year's  peaceable  companionship. 

While  Captain  Boimeville  amused  himself  by  observing  the 
habits  and  characteristics  of  this  singular  class  of  men,  and  in- 
dulged them,  for  the  time,  in  all  their  vagaries,  he  profited  by 
the  opportunity  to  collect  from  them  information  concerning 
the  different  parts  of  the  country  about  which  they  iiad  been 
accustomed  to  range ;  the  charactei-s  of  the  tribes,  and,  in  short, 
everything  important  to  his  enterprise.  He  also  succeeded  in 
securing  the  services  of  several  to  guide  and  aid  him  in  his 
peregrinations  among  the  mountains,  and  to  trap  for  him 
during  the  ensuing  season.  Having  strengthened  his  party 
with  such  valuable  recruits,  he  felt  in  some  measure  consoled 
for  tlie  loss  of  the  Delaware  Indians,  decoyed  from  him  by  Mr. 
Fontenelle. 


CHAPTER   Vni. 

PLANS  FOR  THE  WINTER— SALMON  RIVER— ABUNDANCE  OP  SAL- 
MON WEST  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS— NE"W  ARRA.s^GEMENTS— CACHES 
--CERRE's  DETACHMENT— MOVEMENTS  IN  70NTENELLE'S  CAMP 
—DEPARTURE  jP  THE  BLACKFEET — THEfR  FORTUNES — WIND 
MOUNTAIN  STREAMS— BUCKEYE,  THE  DELAWAIIE  HUNTER,  AND 
THE  GRIZZLY   BEAR — BONES  OF    MURDERFD  TRAVELLERS — VISIT 

TO  Pierre's  hole— tracf-^,  of  the  b/  itle— nez  perc6  In- 
dians—arrival  AT  SAi.i:o-;i  niVER. 

The  information  derived  from  the  free  trappers  determined 
Captain  Bonneville  as  to  his  further  movements.  He  learned 
that  in  the  Green  River  valley  the  winters  were  severe,  the 
snow  frequently  falling  to  the  depth  of  several  feet ;  and  that 
there  was  no  good  wintering  ground  in  the  neighborhood. 


•  m 

■•J 

'is 


M 


I 


^    I 


m 


j; 


%  I 


.1 


^? 


!  'tj 


06 


ADTENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


The  upper  part  of  Salmon  River  was  represented  as  far  more 
eligible,  besides  being  in  an  excellent  beaver  country;  and 
thither  the  captain  resolved  to  bend  his  course. 

The  Salmon  River  is  one  of  the  upi)er  branches  of  the  Oregon 
or  Columbia ;  and  takes  its  rise  from  vanoiis  sources,  among  a 
group  of  mountains  to  the  northwest  of  the  Wind  River  chain. 
It  owes  its  name  to  the  immense  shoals  of  salmon  which  as- 
cend it  in  the  months  of  September  and  October.  The  salmon 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  are,  like  the  buffalo 
on  the  eastern  plans,  vast  migratory  supplies  for  the  wants  of 
man,  that  come  and  go  with  the  seasons.  As  the  buffalo  in 
countless  throngs  find  their  certain  way  in  the  transient  pas- 
turage on  the  prairies,  along  the  fresh  banks  of  the  rivers,  and 
Tip  every  valley  and  green  defilo  of  the  mountains,  so  the  sal- 
mon, at  their  allotted  seasons,  regulated  by  a  sublime  and  all- 
seeing  Providence,  swarm  in  myriads  up  the  great  rivers,  and 
find  their  way  up  their  main  branches,  and  into  the  minutest 
tributary  streams;  so  as  to  pervade  the  gn^at  arid  plains,  and 
to  penetrat(i  even  among  baiTen  mountains.  Thus  wandering 
tribes  are  fed  in  the  desert  places  of  the  wilderness,  where  thtn-o 
is  no  lu  rbage  for  the  animals  of  the  chase,  and  vhere,  but  for 
these  periodical  supplies,  it  would  bo  impossible  for  man  to 
subsist. 

The  rapid  currents  of  the  rivers  which  run  into  the  Pacific 
render  the  ascent  of  them  very  exhausting  to  the  salmon. 
When  the  fish  first  run  up  the  rivers,  they  are  fat  and  in  fine 
order.  The  struggle  against  impetuous  streams  and  frequent; 
rapids  gradually  renders  them  thin  and  weak,  and  great  num- 
bers are  seen  floating  down  the  rivc^rs  on  their  backs.  As  the 
s_\ason  advances  and  the  water  becomes  chilled,  they  are  flung 
in  myriads  on  the  shores,  where  the  wolves  and  bears  assem- 
ble to  banquet  on  them.  Often  th(»y  rot  in  such  quantities 
along  the  river  banks,  as  to  taint  the  tttmosphero.  They  are 
commonly  from  two  to  three  f(>ot  long. 

Cliptain  P>onneville  now  made  his  arrangements  for  the 
autumn  and  th(^  winter.  The  natui-e  of  the  country  througii 
which  he  was  about  to  travel  rendered  it  impossible  to  proceed 
with  wag(Mis.  He  had  more  goods  ar.«l  supplies  of  various 
kinds,  also,  than  Aven*  required  for  present  purposes,  or  than 
could  be  con  v<Mu"(mtly  traiisport(Ml  on  hors(4)a('k;  aidi'd,  there« 
fore,  by  a  few  confidential  men,  he  made  caches,  or  secret  pits, 
during  the  night,  when  all  the  r(>st  of  the  catnp  were  aslec^p, 
and  in  these  dc^posited  the  8Ui)erlluous  effects,  ujgcthor  with 


§. 


■  ^"-^  ■-  ■ 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


07 


11 


mi 


}M 


the  wagons.  All  tT'acos  of  the  caches  were  then  carefully 
obliterated.  This  is  a  common  expedient  with  the  traders  and 
trappers  of  the  mountains.  Having  no  established  posts  and 
magazines,  they  make  these  caches  (jr  deposits  at  certain 
points,  whither  they  repair  occasionally,  for  sui)plies.  It  is  au 
expe<lient  derived  from  the  wandering  tribes  of  Indians. 

Many  of  the  horses  were  still  so  weak  and  lame  as  to  bo 
uniil  for  a  long  scramble  through  the  mountains.  These  were 
(;oll('ct(Ml  into  one  cavalcade,  and  given  in  charge  to  an  experi- 
enced trapi^er,  of  the  name  of  ]\Iatthieu.  He  was  to  proceed 
westward,  Avith  a  brigade  of  trai)i)ers,  to  Bear  Riv(*r;  a  stream 
to  the  west  of  the  Gi'een  River  or  Colorado,  where  there  wjia 
good  pasturage  for  the  horees.  In  this  neighborhood  it  was 
t^xpeci'  I  he  would  meet  the  Sh(tshonie  villages  ov  bands,*  on 
their  yearly  migrations,  with  whom  he  wjistoti'adi^  for  ix)ltries 
and  i)i<  tvisions.  After  he  had  traded  with  these  pet  »j)le,  finished 
his  trai)ping,  and  recruited  the  strength  of  the  horses,  he  was 
to  proceed  to  Salmon  River,  and  rejoin  Captain  Bomieville, 
wiio  intended  to  fix  his  quarters  ttiere  for  the  winter. 

Wliil(>  thes(»  arrangements  were  in  progress  hi  the  camp  of 
Captain  Bonncnille,  there  was  a  sudden  bustle  and  stir  in  the 
camp  of  Fontenelle.  One  of  tho  partnei-s  of  the  American  Fnr 
Company  had  arrived,  in  all  haslr,  from  the  iciuh'zvouis  at 
I'ierre's  Hole,  in  quest  of  the  suppHes.  Tlie  conqx'tition  be- 
t\v(V'n  the  two  ris'al  companies  was  just  now  at  its  lieight,  and 
])roseeute(l  with  miusual  zeal.  The  tr-amontane  ; oncerns  of 
the  J^c'ky  Moimtiun  Fur  Company  werc^  mana/jred  by  two 
resident  partners,  Fitzpatrick  and  Rridger;  those  of  the 
American  Fur  Company,  by  Vanderburgh  and  Dripps.  Tho 
l;(t((M'  wm'o  ignorant  of  the  mountain  r(»gions.  but  tfustctl  to 
mnke  ui)  by  vigUine(>  and  activity  ''or  their  want  of  knowledge 
of  the  country. 

I'Mtzpatriek,  an  experienced  trader  and  trapper,  knew  the 
(>vilH  of  competition  in  the  same  hunting  grounds,  and  had 
propoM(>d  that  the  two  companies  sliould  divide  tlu^  i'ountry,  so 
as  to  hunt  in  dillercTit  dii-eetions:  this  jtroposition  being  ro- 
jected.  he  had  exeH(  d  Idmself  to  g(^t  first  into  the  fudd.  His 
exertions,  a«  have  ali-eady  been  shown,  wciO  elfectual.     The 


ll 


t 


^  I 


!i 


i 


*  A  rilliKif  of  liidiaiis,  in  tr.Mppi'i's"  liiii>;iift«f,  (Iocs  in.;  iilwnvs  imply  a  flxt'd  com- 
iniiiiil\-;  )>ut  iiricii  ,1  \VMnili'i'iii).r  Imnli'dr  liiiml  'i'lii' SliMslinniiw.  lil<t>  itii>»jf  nf  tJi«» 
In  Hiiihiiii  trilti>s.  liiivc  no  sclllcd  rcsitlciiccs;  Imt  iii-i-  a  nuMiinlU'  pcpplf.  dwt'llliijf  in 
!•  iiu  111-  liMJps  mill  shillliiK  tlirir  riu'aiupmt'ulH  frum  plucc  U>  placf,  uocunliug  as 
n*li  (111(1  Kiimi>  altounil. 


^» 

J 

iil 


68 


ADVENTURES  OP  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


early  arrival  of  Sublette,  with  supplies,  had  enabled  the  vari- 
ous brigades  of  the  Eotjky  Mountain  Company  to  start  off  to 
their  respective  hunting  grounds.  Fitzpatrick  himself,  v/ith 
his  associate,  Bridger,  had  pushed  off  with  a  strong  party  of 
trappers,  for  a  prime  beaver  country  to  the  north-northwest. 

Tliis  had  put  Vanderburgh  upon  his  mettle.  He  had  has- 
tened on  to  meet  Fontenelle.  Finding  him  at  his  camp  in 
Green  River  valley,  he  immediately  furnished  himself  with 
the  supplies ;  put  himself  at  the  head  of  the  free  trappers  and 
Delawares,  and  set  off  with  all  speed,  deteiTuined  to  follow 
hard  upon  the  heels  of  Fitzpatrick  and  Bridger.  Of  the  ad- 
ventures of  these  parties  among  the  mountains,  and  the  dis- 
astrous effects  of  their  competition,  we  shall  have  occasion  to 
treat  in  a  future  chapter. 

Fontenelle,  having  now  delivered  his  supplies  and  accom- 
plished his  errand,  struck  his  tents  and  set  off  on  his  return  to 
the  Yellowstone.  Captain  Bonneville  and  his  band,  therefore, 
remained  alone  in  the  Green  River  valley ;  and  their  situation 
might  have  been  perilous,  had  the  Blackfcet  band  still  ling- 
ered in  the  vicinity.  Those  marauders,  however,  had  been 
dismayed  at  finding  so  many  resolute  and  well-appointed  par- 
ties of  white  men  in  this  neighbc  rhood.  They  had,  therefore, 
abandoned  this  part  of  the  couiitry,  passing  over  the  head- 
waters of  the  Green  River,  and  bending  their  course  toward 
the  YelloAvstone.  Misfortune  pursued  them.  Their  route  lay 
through  the  country  of  their  deadly  enemies,  the  Crows.  In 
the  Wind  River  valley,  which  lies  cast  of  the  mountains,  they 
were  encountered  by  a  powerful  war  party  of  that  tribe,  niid 
completely  put  to  rout.  Forty  of  them  were  killed,  many  of 
their  women  and  children  captured,  and  the  scattered  fugitives 
hunted  like  wild  beasts,  until  they  were  completely  chased  out 
of  the  Crow  country. 

On  the  22d  of  August  Captain  Bonnes- illc  broke  up  his 
camp,  and  set  out  on  his  route  for  Salmon  River.  His  bag- 
gage was  arranged  in  packs,  three  to  a  mnle,  or  pack-horse ; 
one  being  disposed  on  each  side  of  the  animal,  and  one  on 
the  top ;  the  three  forming  a  load  of  from  one  hundred  and 
eighty  to  tv/o  hundred  and  twenty  pounds.  This  is  the  trap- 
poi's'  style  of  loading  tlieir  pack-horses.  His  men,  however, 
were  inexpert  at  adjusting  the  packs,  which  were  prone  to  got 
loose  and  slip  off,  so  that  it  was  necessary  to  keep  a  roar-giuiivl 
to  assist  in  reloading.  A  few  days'  experience,  however, 
brought  them  into  proper  training. 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


69 


Their  march  lay  up  the  valley  of  the  Seeds-ke-dee,  over- 
looked to  the  right  by  the  lofty  peaks  of  the  Wind  River 
]>Iountains.  From  bright  little  lakes  and  fountain-heads'  of 
this  remarkable  bed  of  mountains  poured  forth  the  tributary 
streams  of  the  Seeds-ke-dee.  Some  came  rushing  down  gullies 
and  ravines;  others  tumbling  in  crystal  cascades  from  in- 
accessible clefts  and  rocks,  and  others  winding  their  way  in 
rai)id  and  pellucid  currents  across  the  valley,  to  throw  them- 
selves into  the  main  river.  So  transparent  were  these  waters 
that  the  trout  with  which  they  abounded  could  be  seen  gliding 
about  as  if  in  the  air;  and  their  pebbly  beds  were  distinctly 
visible  at  the  depth  of  many  feet.  This  beautiful  and  diaph- 
anous quality  of  the  Rocky  Mourvtain  streams  prevails  for  a 
long  time  after  they  have  mingled  their  waters  and  swollen 
into  important  rivers. 

Issuing  from  the  upper  part  of  the  valley,  Captain  Bonne- 
ville continued  to  the  Ocist-northeast,  across  rough  and  loity 
ridges,  and  deep  rocky  defiles,  extremely  fatiguing  both  to 
man  and  horse.  Among  his  hunters  was  a  Delaware  Indian 
who  had  remained  ftdthful  to  him.  His  name  was  Buck- 
eye. He  had  often  prided  himself  on  his  skill  and  success 
in  coping  with  the  grizzly  bear,  that  terror  of  the  hunters. 
Though  crippled  in  the  left  arm,  he  declared  he  had  no  hesita- 
ti<.)n  to  close  with  a  wounded  bear,  and  attack  him  with  a 
sword.  If  armed  with  a  rifle,  he  was  willing  to  brave  the 
animal  when  in  full  force  and  fury.  He  had  twice  an  oppor- 
tunity of  proving  his  prowess,  in  the  course  of  this  mountain 
journey,  and  was  each  time  successful.  His  mode  was  to  seat 
himself  upon  the  ground,  with  his  rifle  cocked  and  resting  on 
his  lame  arm.  Thus  preparwd,  he  would  await  the  approach 
of  the  bear  with  perfect  coolness,'  nor  pull  trigger  until  he 
was  close  at  hand.  In  each  instance,  he  laid  the  monster  dead 
upon  the  spot. 

A  march  of  three  or  four  days,  through  savage  and  lonely 
scenes,  brought  Captain  Bonneville  to  the  fatal  defile  of  Jack- 
son's Hole,  where  poor  More  and  Foy  had  bei.n  sun)rised  and 
nuu'dered  by  the  Blackfeet.  The  feoHngs  of  the  captain  were 
sliocked  at  beholding  the  bones  of  these  unfortunate  young 
men  bleaching  among  the  rocks ;  and  he  caused  them  to  be 
decently  uiterred. 

On  the  ;3(I  of  September  he  arrived  on  the  summit  of  a  moun- 
tain which  commnndod  a  full  view  of  the  eventful  valley  of 
Pierre's  Hole;  whence  he  ci»ii1d  trace  the  winding  of  its  stream 


'^s 


fe- 


'1 


is 


,1  ■ 


i 


i'l 


ii 


70 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


through  green  meadows  and  forests  of  willow  and  cottonwood, 
and  have  a  prospect,  between  distant  mountains,  of  the  V,  va 
plains  of  Snake  River,  dimly  spread  forth  like  a  sleeping  ocean 
below. 

After  enjoying  this  magnificent  prospocr,  he  descended  into 
the  valley,  and  visited  the  scenes  of  the  laoe  desperate  conflict. 
There  were  the  remains  of  the  rude  fortress  in  the  swamj), 
shattered  by  rifle  shot,  and  strewed  witL.  the  mingled  bones  of 
savages  and  horses.  There  was  the  late  populous  and  noisy 
rendezvous,  with  the  traces  of  trappers'  camps  and  Indian 
lodges ;  but  their  lires  were  extinguished,  the  motley  assem- 
blage of  trappers  and  hunters,  white  traders  and  Indian 
braves,  had  all  dispersed  to  different  points  of  the  wilder- 
ness, and  the  valley  had  relapsed  into  its  pristine  solitude 
and  silence. 

That  night  the  captain  encamped  upon  the  battle  grcjnd ; 
the  next  day  he  resumed  his  toilsome  jjercgrinations  through 
the  mountains.  For  upward  of  two  weeks  he  continued  his 
painful  march ;  both  men  and  horses  suffering  excessively  at 
times  from  hunger  and  thirst.  At  length,  on  the  19th  of  Sep- 
tember, he  reached  the  upper  waters  of  Salmon  River. 

The  weather  was  cold,  and  there  were  symptoms  of  an  im- 
penrling  storm.  The  night  set  in,  but  Buckeye,  the  Delaware 
Indian,  was  missing.  He  had  left  the  part}^  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, to  hunt  by  himself,  according  to  his  custom.  Feai's  were 
entertained  lest  he  should  lose  his  way  and  become  bewildeied 
in  tempestuous  weather.  These  fears  inci'eased  on  the  follow- 
ing morning  when  a  violent  snow-storm  came  on,  wliich  soon 
covered  the  earth  to  the  depth  of  several  inches.  Captain 
Bonneville  immediately  encamped,  and  sent  out  scouts  in 
every  direction.  After  some  search  Buckeye  was  discovej-ed, 
quietly  seated  at  a  considerable  distance  in  the  rear,  v/aiting 
the  expected  approach  of  the  pai-ty,  not  knowing  that  they  had 
passed,  the  snow  having  covered  their  trail. 

On  the  ensuing  morning  they  resumed  their  march  at  an 
early  hour,  but  had  not  proceeded  far  when  the  hunters,  who 
were  beating  up  the  country  in  the  advance,  came  gallop- 
ing back,  making  signals  to  encamp,  and  crying  Indians  1 
Indians ! 

Captain  Bonneville  immediately  struck  into  a  skirt  of  wood 
and  prepared  for  action.  Tlie  savages  wore  now  seen  trooping 
over  the  hills  in  great  numbers.  One  of  them  left  the  main 
bod."  and  came?  foi'ward  shigly,  makmg  signals  of  poace.     He 


1 


:i."«.. 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


71 


)f  Sep- 


announced  them  as  a  band  of  Nez  Perces,*  or  Pierced-nose  In- 
dians, friendly  to  the  whites,  whereupon  an  invitation  was  re- 
timied  by  Captain  Bonneville  for  them  to  come  and  encamp 
with  him.  They  halted  for  a  short  time  to  make  their  toilet,  an 
operation  as  important  with  an  Indian  warrior  as  with  a  fash- 
ionable beauty.  This  done  they  arranged  thenisolvos  in 
martial  style,  the  chiefs  leading  the  van,  the  braves  following 
in  a  long  line,  painted  and  decorated,  and  topped  off  Avith  flut- 
fpring  plumes.  In  this  way  they  idvanced,  shouting  and 
singing,  firing  off  their  fusees,  ar  d  clcshing  their  shields.  The 
two  parties  encamped  hard  by  each  other.  The  Nez  Perces 
were  on  a  hunting  expedition,  but  had  been  almost  famished 
on  their  march.  They  had  no  provisions  left  but  a  few  dried 
salmon;  yet,  finding  the  white  men  equally  in  want  they 
generously  offered  to  share  even  this  meagre  pittance,  and 
frequently  repeated  the  offer  with  an  earnestness  that  left  no 
doubt  of  their  sincerity.  Their  generosity  won  the  heart  of 
Captam  Bonneville,  and  produced  the  most  cordial  good-wiU 
on  the  part  of  his  men.  For  two  days  that  the  parties 
remained  in  company,  the  most  amicable  intercourse  pro- 
vailed,  and  they  parted  the  best  of  friends.  Captain  Bonne- 
ville detached  a  few  men  under  Mr.  Cerre.  an  able  leader,  to 
accompany  the  Nez  Perces  on  their  hunting  expedition,  and  to 
trade  with  them  for  meat  for  the  winter's  supply.  After  this, 
he  proceeded  down  the  river  about  five  miles  below  the  forks, 
when  he  came  to  a  halt  on  the  2t5th  of  September,  to  establish 
his  winter  quarters. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

HORSES  TURNED  LOOSE— PREPARATIONS  FOR  WINTER  QUARTERS 
—  HUNGRY  TIMES  — NEZ  PERCES,  THEIR  HONESTY,  PIETY, 
PACIFIC  HABITS,  RELIGIOUS  CEREMONIES— CA  PTAIN  PONNK- 
VILLE'S  CONVERSATIONS  WITH  THEM— THEIR  LOVE  OF  GAJI- 
nUNQ. 

It  was  gratifying*to  Captain  Bonnovillo,  after  so  long  and 
toilsome  a  course  of  travel,  to  relieve  his  poor  jaded  horses  of 


*  We  should  observe  that  this  tribe  is  universally  called  ))y  lis  Fniuh 
naitu'.  which  is  pronounecd  by  the  trappers,  Nrpcrcy.  There  are  fwo  inn  in 
briiiiohes  of  this  tribe,  the  upper  Nepercys  and  the  lower  Nepercys,  as  we 
sliall  show  hereafter. 


t 


,1 


"1 


•'»•}• 


72 


AD  VEN TURKS  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


the  burdens  under  which  they  were  almost  ready  to  give  out, 
and  to  behold  them  rolling  upon  the  grass,  and  taking  a  long 
repose  after  all  their  sufferings.  Indeed,  so  exhausted  were 
they,  that  those  employed  under  the  saddle  were  no  longer 
capable  of  hunting  for  the  daily  subsistence  of  the  camp. 

All  hands  now  set  to  work  to  prepare  a  winter  cantonment. 
A  temporary  fortification  was  thrown  up  for  the  protection  of 
the  party ;  a  secm'e  and  comfortable  pen,  into  which  the  horses 
could  be  driven  at  night ;  and  huts  were  built  for  the  reception 
of  the  merchandise. 

This  done,  Captain  Bonneville  made  a  distribution  of  his 
forces ;  twenty  men  were  to  remain  with  him  in  garrison  to 
protect  the  property ;  the  rest  were  organized  into  three  bri- 
gades, and  sent  off  in  different  directions,  to  subsist  them- 
selves by  hunting  the  buffalo,  until  the  snow  should  become 
too  deep. 

Indeed,  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  provide  for  the 
whole  party  in  this  neighborhood.  It  was  at  the  extreme  wes- 
tern limit  of  the  buffalo  range,  and  these  animals  had  recently 
been  completely  hunted  out  of  the  neighborhood  by  the  Nez 
Perces,  so  that,  that,  although  the  hunters  of  the  garrison  were 
continually  on  the  alert,  ranging  the  country  round,  they 
brought  in  scarce  game  sufficient  to  keep  famine  from  the 
door.  Now  and  then  there  was  a  scanty  meal  of  fish  or  wild- 
fowl, occasionally  an  antelope;  but  frequently  the  cravings  of 
hunger  had  to  bo  appeased  with  roots,  or  the  flesh  of  wolves 
and  musk-rats.  Rarely  could  the  inmates  of  the  cantonment 
boast  of  having  made  a  full  meal,  and  never  of  having  where- 
withal for  the  morrow.  In  this  way  they  starved  along  until 
the  8th  of  October,  when  they  were  joined  by  a  party  of  five 
families  of  Nez  Perces,  who  in  some  measure  reconciled  them 
to  the  hardships  of  their  situation,  by  exhibiting  a  lot  still  more 
destitute.  A  more  forlorn  set  they  had  never  encountered; 
they  had  not  a  morsel  of  meat  or  fish ;  nor  anything  to  subsist 
on,  excepting  roots,  wild  rosebuds,  the  barks  of  certain  plants, 
and  other  vegetable  productions;  neither  had  they  any  weapon 
for  hunting  or  defense,  excepting  an  old  spear.  Yet  the  poor 
fellows  made  no  murmur  nor  complainf;  but  seemed  accus- 
tomed to  their  hard  fare.  If  they  could  not  teach  the  white 
men  their  prnctical  stoicism,  they  at  least  made  them  ac- 
quainted with  the  edible  properties  of  roots  and  wild  rosebuds, 
and  furnished  them  a  supply  from  their  own  store.  The 
necessities  of  the  camp  at  lonerth  became  so  urgent  that  Cap- 


AiL-;',A 


MM*iMMMMM^ 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


73 


tain  Bonneville  determined  to  dispatch  a  party  to  the  Horse 
Prairie,  a  plain  to  the  north  of  his  cantonment,  to  procure  a 
supply  of  provisions.  When  the  men  were  about  to  depart,  ho 
proposed  to  the  Nez  Perces  that  they,  or  some  of  them,  should 
join  the  hunting  party.  To  his  surprise  they  promptly  do- 
c  lined.  lie  inquired  the  reason  for  their  refusal,  seeing  that 
they  wcr(;  in  nearly  as  starving  situation  as  his  own  people. 
They  replied  that  it  was  a  sacred  day  with  them,  and  the  G  reat 
Spirit  would  be  angry  should  they  devote  it  to  hunting.  They 
oll'ered,  however,  to  accompany  the  party  if  it  would  delay  its 
departure  until  the  following  day;  but  this  the  pincliing  de- 
mands of  hunger  would  not  permit,  and  the  detachment  pro- 
ceeded. A  few  days  afterward,  four  of  them  signified  to 
Captain  Bonneville  that  they  were  about  to  hunt.  '"What!" 
exclaimed  he,  "without  guns  or  arrows;  and  with  only  one 
old  spc^ar?  What  do  you  expect  to  kill?"  They  smiled  among 
themselves,  but  made  no  answer.  Preparatory  to  the  chtxse, 
they  jx'rformed  some  religious  rites,  and  offered  up  to  the 
Great  Spirit  a  few  short  prayers  for  safety  and  success ;  then, 
having  received  the  blessings  of  their  wives,  they  leaped  upon 
their  horses  and  departed,  leaving  the  whole  party  of  Chris- 
tian spectators  amazed  and  rebuked  by  this  lesson  of  faith  and 
dependence  on  a  supreme  and  benevolent  Being.  "Accus- 
tomed," adds  Captain  Bonneville,  "as  I  had  heretofore  been, 
to  find  the  wretched  Indian  revelling  in  blood  and  stained  by 
every  vice  which  can  degrade  human  nature,  I  could  scarcely 
realize  the  scene  which  I  had  Tvitnessed,  Wonder  at  such  un- 
affected tenderness  and  piety,  where  it  was  least  to  have  been 
sought,  contended  in  all  our  bosoms  with  shajue  and  confusion, 
at  receiving  such  pure  and  wholesome  insti'uctions  from  crea- 
tures so  far  below  us  in  the  arts  and  comforts  of  life."  The 
simple  prayers  of  the  poor  Indians  wore  not  unheard.  In  the 
course  of  four  or  five  days  they  returned,  laden  with  meat. 
Captain  Bonneville  was  curious  to  know  how  they  had 
attained  such  success  with  such  scanty  means.  They  gave  him 
to  understand  that  they  had  chased  the  herds  of  buftnlo  at  full 
speed,  until  they  tired  them  down,  when  they  easily  dispatched 
them  with  the  spear,  and  made  use  of  the  same  weapon  to  flay 
the  carcasses.  To  carry  through  their  lessons  to  their  Chris- 
tian friends,  the  poor  savages  were  as  charitable  as  they  had 
b(?en  pious,  and  generously  shared  with  them  the  spoils  of  their 
hunting:  giving  them  food  enough  to  last  for  several  days. 
A  further  and  more  intimate  intercourse  with  this  tribe  gave 


- 


I! 


1'J 


I  ) 


<!a 


'!i' 


74 


ADVKNTUliliS  OF  CM'TATN  BONNEVILLE. 


Captain  Bonneville  still  greater  cause  to  admire  their  strong 
devotional  feeling.  "Simply  to  call  tliese  people  religious," 
says  he,  "would  convey  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  deep  hue  of 
piety  and  devotion  which  i)ervades  their  whole  conduct.  Their 
honesty  is  immaculate,  and  their  i>urity  of  purpose,  and  their 
observance  of  the  rites  of  their  religion,  are  most  uniform  and 
remarkable.  They  are,  certainly  more  like  a  nation  of  saints 
than  a  horde  of  savages." 

In  fact,  the  antibelligerent  policy  of  this  tribe  may  have 
sprung  from  the  doctrines  of  Christian  charity,  for  it  would 
appear  that  they  had  imbibed  some  notions  of  the  Christian 
faith  from  Catholic  missionaries  and  traders  who  had  been 
among  them.  They  even  had  a  rude  calendar  of  the  fasts  and 
festivals  of  the  Eomish  Church,  and  some  traces  of  its  cere- 
monials. These  have  become  blended  with  their  own  wild 
rites,  and  present  a  strange  medley ;  civilized  and  barbarous. 
On  the  Sabbath,  men,  women,  and  children  array  themselves 
in  their  best  style,  and  assemble  round  a  pole  erected  at  the 
head  of  the  camp.  Here  they  go  through  a  wild  fantastic 
ceremonial;  strongly  resembling  the  religious  dance  of  the 
Shaking  Quakers ;  but  from  its  enthusiasm,  much  more  strik- 
ing and  impressive.  During  the  intervals  of  the  ceremony, 
the  principal  chiefs,  who  officiate  as  priests,  instnict  them  in 
their  duties,  and  exhort  them  to  virtue  and  good  deeds. 

"There  is  something  antique  and  patriarchal,"  observes  Cap- 
tain Bonneville,  "in  this  union  of  the  offices  of  leader  and 
priest;  as  there  is  in  many  of  their  customs  and  manners, 
which  are  all  strongly  imbued  with  religion." 

The  worthy  captain,  indeed,  appears  to  have  been  strongly 
interested  by  this  gleam  of  inilooked-f(n'  light  amid  the  dark- 
ness of  the  wilderness.  He  exerted  himself,  during  his  sojourn 
among  this  simple  and  well-disposed  people,  to  inculcate,  as  far 
as  he  was  able,  the  gentle  and  humanizing  precepts  of  the 
Christian  faith,  and  to  make  them  acquainted  with  the  load- 
ing points  of  its  history ;  and  it  speaks  highly  for  the  purity 
and  benignity  of  his  heart,  that  he  derived  unmixed  happiness 
from  the  task.  • 

"Many  a  time,"  says  he,  "was  my  little  lodge  thronged,  or 
rather  piled  with  hearers,  for  they  lay  on  the  ground,  one  lean- 
ing over  the  other,  until  there  was  no  further  room,  all  listening 
with  greedy  ears  to  the  wonders  which  the  Great  Spirit  had 
revealed  to  the  white  man.  No  other  subject  gave  them  half 
the  satisfaction,  or  commf^ded  half  the  attention;  and  hvX 


■  ■ilMj.-W    V'^- " ..^..iJ.  ...tM^pinrAM* 


hi'         flfciUlMill   * 


ADVENTURKS  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNKVILLK. 


Til 


few  scenes  in  my  life  remain  so  f rcHhly  on  my  memory,  or  are 
so  pleasurably  recalled  to  my  contemi>lation,  as  these  hours  of 
intercourse  with  a  distant  and  benighted  race  in  the  midst  of 
t'uMlc'sert." 

Tlio  only  excesses  indulged  in  by  this  temperate  and  exem- 
plary people,  appear  to  be  gambling  and  horseracing.  In  these 
thoy  engage  with  an  eagerness  that  amounts  to  infatuation. 
Knots  of  gamblers  will  assemble  before  one  of  their  lodge  fires, 
early  in  tlie  evening,  and  remain  absorbed  in  the  chances  and 
changes  of  the  game  until  long  after  dawn  of  the  following 
day.  As  the  night  advances,  they  wax  warmer  and  warmer. 
Bets  increase  in  amount,  one  loss  only  serves  to  lead  to  a  greater, 
until  in  the  course  of  a  single  night's  gambUng,  the  richest 
chief  may  become  the  poorest  varlet  in  the  camp. 


CHAPTER  X. 


BLACKFEET  IN  THE  HORSE  TRAIRIE— SEARCH  AFTER  THE  HUNT- 
ERS—DIFFICULTIES AND  DANGERS — A  CARD  PARTY  IN  THE  WII.- 
DERNESS—THE    CARD    PARTY  INTERRUPTED— "  OLD    SLEDGE"   A 


LOSING    GAME—VISITORS    TO   THE    CAMP- 
HANQING-EARED  INDIANS. 


-IROQUOIS    nUNTERS- 


On  the  12th  of  October,  two  young  Indians  of  the  Nez  Perce 
tribe  arrived  at  Captain  Bonneville's  encampment.  They  wei'e 
on  their  way  homeward,  but  had  been  obliged  to  swerve  from 
their  ordinary  route  through  the  mountains,  by  deep  snows. 
Their  new  route  took  them  through  the  Horse  Prairie.  In 
tvavei'sing  it,  they  had  been  attracted  by  the  distant  smoke  of 
a  camp  fire,  and  on  stealing  near  to  reconnoitre,  had  discovered 
a  war  party  of  Blackfcet.  They  had  several  horses  with  them ; 
and,  as  they  generally  go  cm  foot  on  warlike  excursions,  it  was 
concluded  that  these  horses  had  been  captured  in  the  coui*se  of 
their  maraudings. 

This  intelligence  awakened  solicitude  on  the  mind  of  Captain 
Bonneville  for  the  party  of  hunters  w^hom  he  had  sent  to  that 
neighborhood ;  and  the  Nez  Perzes.  when  informed  of  the  cir- 
cumstance, shook  their  heads,  and  declared  their  belief  that 
the  horses  they  had  seen  had  been  stolen  from  tliat  very  party. 

Anxious  for  information  on  the  subject.  Captain  Bonne- 
\ille  dispatched  two  hunters  to  beat  up  the  country  in  that 


•i 


i. 


'V 


t, 


m 


76 


ADVE2iTuni:>:  of  laptai.\  bo2<m<:ville. 


direction.  They  searched  in  vain;  not  a  trace  of  the  men 
could  be  found ;  but  they  got  into  a  region  destitute  of  game, 
where  they  were  well-nigh  famished.  At  one  time  they  were 
three  entire  days  without  a  mouthful  of  food ;  at  length  they 
beheld  a  buffalo  grazing  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  After 
manoeuvring  so  as  to  get  within  shot,  they  lired,  but  merely 
wounded  him.  He  took  to  flight,  and  thoy  followed  him  over 
hill  and  dale,  with  the  eagerness  and  perseverance  of  starving 
men.  A  more  lucky  shot  brought  hini  i<j  the  ground.  Stan- 
field  sprang  upon  him,  plunged  his  knife  into  his  throat,  and 
allayed  his  raging  hunger  by  drinking  his  blood.  A  fire  ^vas 
instantly  kindled  beside  the  carcass,  when  the  two  hunters 
cooked,  ajid  ate  again  and  again,  until,  perfectly  gorged,  they 
sank  to  sleep  before  their  hunting  fire.  On  the  following 
morning  they  rose  early,  made  another  hearty  meal,  then 
loading  themselves  with  buffalo  meat,  set  out  on  their  return 
to  the  camp,  to  report  the  fruitlessness  of  their  mission. 

At  length,  after  six  weeks'  absence,  tli  hunters  made  their 
appearance,  and  were  received  with  joy  proportioned  to  the 
anxiety  that  had  been  felt  on  their  account.  They  had  hunted 
with  success  on  the  prairie,  but,  while  busy  drying  buffalo 
meat,  were  joined  by  a  few  panic-stricken  Flatheads,  who 
informed  them  that  a  powerful  band  of  Blackfeet  were  at 
hand.  The  hunters  immediately  abandoned  the  dangerous 
hunting  ground,  and  accompanied  the  Flatheads  to  their 
village.  Here  they  found  Mr.  Cerre,  and  the  detachment  of 
hunters  sent  with  him  to  accompany  the  hunting  party  of  the 
Nez  Perces. 

After  remaining  some  time  at  the  village,  until  they  sup- 
posed the  Blackfeet  to  have  left  the  neighborhood,  they  set  off 
with  some  of  Mr.  Cerre's  men  for  the  cantonment  at  Salmon 
Eiver,  where  they  arrived  without  accident.  They  informed 
Captain  Bonneville,  however,  that  not  far  from  his  quarters 
they  had  found  a  wallet  of  fresh  meat  and  a  cord,  which  they 
supposed  had  been  left  by  some  prowling  Blackfeet.  A  few 
days  afterwai'd  Mr.  Cerre,  with  the  remainder  of  liis  men, 
Jikewise  arrived  at  tlie  cantonment. 

Mr.  Walker,  one  of  his  subleaders,  who  had  gone  with  a 
band  of  twenty  hunters  to  range  the  country  just  beyond  the 
Horse  Prairie,  had  likewise  his  share  of  adventures  with  the 
all-pervading  Blackfeet.  At  one  of  his  encampments  the 
guard  stationed  to  keep  watch  round  the  camp  gi'ew  weary  of 
theii*  duty,  and  feeling  a  little  too  secure,  and  too  much  at 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


4    / 


fiome  on  thesie  prairies,  retired  to  a  small  grove  of  willows  tt 
nniiise  themselves  with  a  social  game  of  cards  called  "old 
slodgo,"  which  is  as  popular  £imong  these  trampcrs  of  the 
prairies  as  whist  or  ecarte  among  the  polite  circles  of  the 
cities.  From  the  midst  of  their  sport  they  were  suddenly 
roused  by  a  discharge  of  firearms  and  a  shrill  war-whoop. 
Starting  on  their  feet,  and  snatcliing  up  their  rifles,  they 
beheld  in  dismay  their  horses  and  mules  already  in  possession 
of  the  enemy,  who  had  stolen  upon  the  camp  unperceived, 
while  they  were  spell-bound  by  the  magic  of  old  sledge.  The 
Indians  sprang  upon  the  animals  barebacked,  and  endeavored 
to  ur2;e  them  off  under  a  galling  fire  that  did  some  execution. 
The  mules,  however,  confounded  by  the  hurly-burly  and  dis- 
liking their  new  riders  kicked  up  their  heels  and  dismounted 
half  of  them,  in  spite  of  their  horsemanship.  This  thr(?w  the 
rest  into  confusion ;  they  endeavored  to  protect  their  imhorsed 
comrades  from  the  furious  assaults  of  the  whites ;  but,  after  a 
scene  of  "confusion  worse  confoimded,"  horses  and  mules 
were  abandoned,  and  the  Indians  betook  themselves  to  the 
bushes.  Here  they  quickly  scratched  holes  in  the  earth  about 
two  feet  deep,  in  which  they  prostrated  themselves,  and  wliile 
thus  screened  from  the  shots  of  the  white  men,  were  enabled 
to  make  such  use  of  their  bows  and  arrows  and  fusees,  as  to 
repvdse  their  assailants  and  to  effect  their  retreat.  This 
adventure  threw  a  temporary  stigma  upon  the  game  of  *'o1l 
sledge," 

In  the  course  of  the  autumn,  four  Irocpiois  huntei-s,  drivei 
by  the  snow  from  their  hunting  grounds,  made  their  ajip^'ar 
anfo  at  the  cantonment.  They  were  kindly  welcomed,  and 
during  their  sojourn  made  themselves  useful  in  a  variety  of 
ways,  bring  excellent  trap]>ers  and  first-rate  woodsmen.  They 
wore  of  the  remnants  of  a  party  of  Iroquois  hunters  that  camo 
from  Canada  into  these  mountain  regions  many  years  previ- 
ously, in  the  employ  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  They 
were  led  by  a  brave  chieftain,  named  Pierre,  who  fell  by  the 
hands  of  the  Blackfeet,  and  gave  his  name  to  the  fated  valley 
of  Pierre's  Hole.  This  branch  of  the  Iroquois  tribe  lies  ever 
since  remained  among  these  mountains,  at  mortal  enmity 
Avith  the  Blackfeet,  and  have  lost  many  of  their  prime  hunterri 
in  their  feuds  with  that  ferocious  race.  Some  of  thtmi  fell  in 
with  General  Ashley,  in  the  course  of  one  of  his  gallant  excur- 
sions into  the  wilderness,  and  have  continued  ever  since  in  the 
employ  of  the  company. 


■I;  ■y 


■ 


78 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


Among  the  motley  visitors  to  the  winter  quarters  of  Captain 
Bonneville  was  a  party  of  Pends  Oreilles  (or  Hanging-oars) 
and  their  chief.  These  Indians  have  a  strong  resemblance,  in 
character  and  customs,  to  the  Nez  Perces.  They  amount  to 
about  three  hundred  lodges,  are  well  armed,  and  possess  great 
numbers  of  horses.  During  the  spring,  summer,  and  autumn, 
they  hunt  the  buffalo  about  the  head-waters  of  the  Missouri, 
Henry's  Fork  of  the  Snake  River,  and  the  northern  branches 
of  Salmon  River.  Their  winter  quarters  are  upon  the  Racine 
Amere,  where  they  subsist  upon  roots  and  dried  buffalo  meat. 
Upon  this  rivor  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  have  established 
a  trading  post,  where  the  Pends  Oreilles  and  the  Flatheads 
bring  their  peltries  to  exchange  for  arms,  clothing,  and 
trinkets. 

This  tribe,  like  the  Nez  Perez,  evince  strong  and  peculiar 
feelings  of  natural  piety.  Their  religion  is  not  a  mere 
superstitious  fear,  like  that  of  most  savages ;  they  evince  ab- 
stract notions  of  morality ;  a  deep  reverence  for  an  overruling 
spirit,  and  a  respect  for  the  rights  of  their  fellowmen.  In  one 
respect  their  religion  partakes  of  the  pacific  doctrines  of  the 
Quakers.  They  hold  that  the  Great  Spirit  is  displeased  with 
all  nations  who  wantonly  engage  in  war;  they  abstain,  there- 
fore, from  all  aggressive  hostilities.  But  though  thus  un- 
offending in  their  policy,  they  are  called  upon  continually  to 
wage  defensive  warfare ;  especially  with  the  Blackfeet ;  with 
whom,  in  the  course  of  their  hunting  expeditions,  they  come 
in  frequent  collision  and  have  desperate  battles.  Their  con- 
duct as  warriors  is  without  fear  or  reproach,  and  they  can 
never  be  driven  to  abandon  their  hunting  grounds. 

Like  most  savages  they  are  firm  believers  in  dreams,  and  in 
the  power  and  efficacy  of  charms  and  amulets,  or  medicines  as 
they  term  them.  Some  of  their  braves,  also,  who  have  had 
numerous  hairbreadth  'scapes,  like  the  old  Nez  Perce  chief  in 
the  battle  of  Pierre's  Hole,  are  believed  to  wear  a  charmed 
life,  and  to  be  bullet-proof.  Of  these  gifted  beings  marvellous 
anecdotes  are  related,  which  are  most  potently  believed  by 
their  fellow  savages,  and  sometimes  almost  credited  by  the 
white  hunters. 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


70 


I 


CHAPTER  XI. 

RIVAL  TRAPPETO  PARTIES— MANCEUVRING— A  DESPERATE  GAME— 
VANDE^?BURGH  AND  THE  BLACKFEET— DESERTED  CAMP  FIRE — 
A  DARK  DEFILE— AN  INDIAN  AMBUSH  —A  FIERCE  MELEE— FATAL 
CONSEQUENCES- FITZPATRICK  AND  BRIDGER— TRAPPERS'  PRE- 
CAUTIONS—MEETING WITH  THE  BLACKFEET— MORE  FIGHTING — 
ANECDOTE  OP  A  YOUNG  MEXICAN  AND  AN  INDIAN  GIRL. 

While  Captain  Bonneville  and  his  men  are  sojonming 
among  the  Nez  Perces,  on  Salmon  River,  we  will  inquire  after 
the  fortunes  of  those  doughty  rivals  of  the  Rocky  JVIountains 
and  American  Fur  Companies,  who  started  off  for  the  trap- 
ping grounds  to  the  north-northwest. 

Fitzpatrick  and  Bridger,  of  the  former  company,  as  we  have 
already  shown,  having  received  their  supplies,  had  taken  the 
load,  and  hoped  to  have  the  first  sweep  of  the  hunting  grounds. 
Vanderburgh  and  Dripps,  however,  the  two  resident  partners 
of  the  opposite  company,  by  extraordinary  exertions  were  en- 
abled soon  to  put  themselves  upon  their  traces,  and  pressed 
forward  with  such  speed  as  to  overtake  them  just  as  they  had 
leached  the  heart  of  the  beaver  country.  In  fact,  being  ignor- 
ant of  the  best  trapping  grounds,  it  was  their  object  to  follow 
on,  and  profit  hy  the  superior  knowledge  of  the  other  party. 

Nothing  could  equal  the  chagrin  of  Fitzpatrick  and  Bridger 
at  being  dogged  by  their  inexperienced  rivals,  especially  after 
their  offer  to  di\dde  the  country  with  them.  They  tried  in 
evei'y  way  to  blind  and  baffle  them ;  to  steal  a  march  upon 
them,  or  lead  them  on  a  wrong  scent ;  but  all  in  vain.  Van- 
derburgh made  up  by  activity  and  intelligence  for  his  ignor- 
ance of  the  country,  was  always  wary,  always  on  the  alert; 
discovered  every  movement  of  his  rivals,  however  secret,  and 
was  not  to  be  eluded  or  misled. 

Fitzpatrick  and  his  colleague  now  lost  all  patience;  since 
the  others  persisted  in  following  them,  they  determined  to  give 
them  an  unprofitable  chase,  and  to  sacrifice  the  hunting  season 
rather  than  share  the  products  with  their  rivals.  They  ac- 
cordingly took  up  their  line  of  march  down  the  course  of  the 
Missoiu'i,  keeping  the  main  Blackfoot  trail,  and  tramping  dog' 


i<  i 


I:  ^1 


u^ 


H 


80 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVfLLi:. 


f^edly  forward,  without  stopping  to  sot  a  single  trap.  The 
others  beat  the  hoof  after  them  for  some  time,  but  by  degrees 
began  to  perceive  that  they  were  on  a  wild-goose  chase,  and 
gettinp;  into  a  country-  i)crfectly  barren  to  the  trapper.  They 
now  came  to  a  halt,  and  bethought  themselves  how  to  make 
up  for  lost  time,  and  improve  the  remainder  of  the  season.  It 
was  thought  best  to  divide  their  forces  and  try  different  trap- 
ping grounds.  While  Dripps  went  in  one  direction,  Vander- 
burgh, with  about  fifty  men,  proceeded  in  another.  The  latter, 
in  his  headlong  march  had  got  into  the  very  heart  of  the  Black- 
foot  country,  yet  seems  to  have  been  unconscious  of  his  danger. 
As  his  scouts  were  out  one  day,  they  came  upon  the  traces  of 
a  recent  band  of  savr.ges.  There  were  the  deserted  fires  still 
smoking,  surrounded  by  the  carcasses  of  buffaloes  just  killed. 
It  was  evident  a  party  of  Blackfeet  had  been  frightened  from 
their  hunting  camp,  and  had  retreated,  probably  to  seek  rein- 
forcements. The  scouts  hastened  back  to  the  camp,  and  told 
Vanderburgh  what  they  had  seen.  Ho  made  light  of  the 
alarm,  and,  taking  nine  men  with  him,  galloped  off  to  recon- 
noitre for  himself.  He  found  the  deserted  hunting  camp  just 
as  they  had  represented  it ;  there  lay  the  carcasses  of  buffaloes, 
partly  dismembered;  there  were  the  smouldering  fires,  still 
sending  up  their  wreaths  of  smoke ;  everything  bore  traces  of 
recent  and  hasty  retreat ;  and  gave  rea£.on  to  believe  that  the 
savages  were  still  lurking  in  Jie  neighborhood.  With  heed- 
less daring,  Vanderburgh  put  himself  upon  their  trail,  to  trace 
them  to  their  place  of  concealment.  It  led  him  over  praii'ies, 
and  throng) >  skirts  of  woodland,  until  it  entered  a  dark  and 
dangerous  ravine.  Vanderbiu'gh  pushed  in,  witliout  hesita- 
tion, followed  by  his  little  band.  They  soon  foiuid  themselves 
in  a  gloomy  dell,  between  steep  banks  overhung  "with  trees, 
where  the  profound  silence  was  only  broken  by  the  tramp  of 
their  own  horses. 

Suddenly  the  horrid  war-\\  hoop  burst  on  their  ears,  .minglcrl 
with  the  sharp  report  of  rifles,  and  a  legion  of  savages  sprang 
from  their  concealments,  yelling,  and  shaking  their  buffalo 
robes  to  frighten  the  horses.  Vanderburgh's  horse  fell,  mor- 
tally wounded  by  the  first  discharge.  In  his  fall  he  pinned  his 
rider  to  the  groimd,  who  called  in  vain  upon  his  men  to  assist 
in  extricatuig  him.  One  was  shot  down  scalped  a  few  paces 
distant ;  most  of  the  others  wei'e  severely  wounded,  and  sought 
their  safety  in  flight.  The  savages  approaclu>d  to  dir,|)atch 
the  unfortunate  leader,  as  he  lay  struggling  beneath  his  horse. 


•:  ■     :?■« 


ADVENTURES   OF  CAPTAIN  BON  NEVILLE. 


81 


The 


i;r3 


lie  had  still  bis  rifle  in  his  hand  and  his  pistols  in  his  belt. 
The  first  savage  that  advanced  reeeived  the  contents  of  tlie 
rifle  in  his  breast,  and  fell  dead  upon  the  spot;  but  before  Van- 
derburgh could  draw  a  pistol,  a  blow  from  a  tomahawk  laid 
him  prostrat<»,  and  he  was  dispatched  by  repeated  wounds. 

Such  was  tiie  fate  of  Major  Henry  Vanderburgh,  one  of  the 
best  and  worthiest  leaders  of  the  American  Fur  Company, 
who  by  his  manly  bearing  and  dauntless  courage  is  said  to 
have  made  himself  universally  popular  among  the  bold-h6arted 
rovers  of  the  wilderness. 

Those  of  the  little  bimd  who  esca])ed  fled  in  consternation  to 
the  camp,  and  spread  direful  reports  oZ  the  force  and  ferocity 
of  the  enemy.  The  part> ,  being  wil iiout  a  head,  were  in  com- 
plete confusion  and  dismay,  and  made  a  precipitate  reti-eat, 
without  attempting:  to  recover  the  remains  of  tiieir  butchercMl 
leader.  They  made  no  h  ill  until  they  r(>ached  the  encamp- 
ment of  the  Pends  OroiJles.  or  llaiigiiig-ears,  where  they  of- 
fered a  reward  for  the  recovery  of  the  body,  but  without  suc- 
cess; it  neve  •  could  be  found. 

In  the  mealtime  Fitzpati-iclc  and  Bridger.  of  the  Rocky 
Mountain  Com])any,  fared  but  iittl<>  better  than  their  rivals. 
In  their  eagerness  to  mislead  them  they  betrayed  themselves 
into  danger,  and  got  into  a  region  infested  with  the  Blackfeet. 
They  soon  found  that  foes  were  on  the  watch  for  them:  but 
they  were  experienced  in  Indian  warfare,  and  not  to  be  sur- 
prised at  night,  nor  drawn  into  a  a  ambush  in  the  daytime. 
As  the  evening  advanced,  the  horses  were  all  brought  in  and 
picketed,  and  a  guard  was  stationed  I'ound  the  camp  At  the 
earliest  streak  of  day  one  of  the  leaders  would  m»>unt  his 
horse,  and  gallop  off  full  speed  for  about  hnlf  a  mih  ,  then 
look  round  for  Indian  trails,  to  .ascertain  whether  there  had 
been  any  hirkers  round  the  camp;  retiu*ning  slowly,  he  would 
reconnoitre  every  ravine  nnd  tliicket  where  there  might  be  an 
ambush.  This  done,  he  wouM  gallop  ofT  in  an  opposite  direc- 
tir)n  and  repeat  the  s^me  scnitiny.  Finding  all  things  safe, 
the  horses  would  be  turned  loose  to  graze,  but  always  under 
the  eye  of  a  guard. 

A  caution  ecpially  vigilant  was  observed  in  the  march,  on 
approaching  any  defile  or  place  where  an  enemy  might  lie  in 
wait;  and  scouts  were  always  kept  in  the  advance,  or  along 
the  ridges  and  rising  grounds  on  the  flanks. 

At  lenidVi,  one  day,  a  kirge  baud  of  Blackfeet  a}>peared  in 
the  <.pen  field,  but  in  the  vicinity  of  rocks  and  elilfs.     They 


i    ' 


f      i 


!,il' 


▼ 


82 


ADVENTUIiES  OF  CAPTAIN  nONNEVILLE. 


kept  at  a  warj'  distance,  but  made  friendly  signs.  The  trap* 
pers  replied  in  the  same  way,  but  likewise  kept  aloof.  A 
small  party  of  Indians  now  advanced,  bearing  the  pipe  of 
peace ;  they  were  met  by  an  equal  number  of  white  men,  and 
they  formed  a  grou])  midwny  between  the  two  bands,  where 
the  pipe  was  circulated  from  hand  to  hand,  and  smoked  with 
all  due  ceremony.  An  instance  of  natural  affection  took  place 
at  this  pacific  meeting.  Among  the  free  trappers  in  the  Rocky 
Mountain  band  was  a  spiiited  young  Mexican  named  Loretto, 
who,  in  the  course  of  his  wanderings,  had  ransomed  a  beauti- 
ful Blackfoot  girl  from  a  band  of  Crows  by  wiiom  she  had 
been  captured.  He  made  \\ov  Ivis  wife,  after  the  Indian  style, 
and  she  had  followed  his  iVjrtunes  ever  since,  with  the  most 
devoted  affection. 

Among  the  Blackfeet  warriors  who  advanced  with  the  calu- 
met of  peace  she  rec(^gnized  a  brother.  Leaving  her  infant 
with  Ijoretto  she  rushed  forvard  and  threw  herself  upon  her 
brother's  neck,  who  clasped  his  long-lost  sister  to  his  heart 
with  a  warmth  of  affection  but  little  compatible  with  the 
reputed  stoicism  of  the  savage. 

While  this  scene  was  taking  place.  Bridger  left  the  main  body 
of  trappers  and  rode  slowly  toward  the  group  of  smokers,  with 
his  rifle  resting  across  the  pomnu'l  of  his  saddle.  The  chief  of 
the  Blackfeet  sti-ppe<l  forward  to  meet  him.  From  some  un- 
fortunate feeling  of  distrust  Bi'idger  cocked  his  lifle  just  as  the 
chief  Avas  extending  his  hand  in  friendship.  The  (piick  ear  of 
the  savage  caught  the  click  of  the  lock;  in  a  twinkling  he 
gi'asped  the  barrel.  ft)rced  the  muzzle  downward,  and  the 
contents  were  discharged  into  the  earth  at  his  feet.  His  next 
movement  Avas  to  wi'est  the  weapon  from  the  hand  of  Bridger 
and  fell  him  with  it  to  the  earth.  He  might  have  found  this 
no  easy  task  had  not  the  imfortunate  leader  received  two 
arrows  in  his  back  during  the  strupgle. 

The  chief  now  spr-a ng  into  the  vacant  saddle  and  galloped  off 
to  his  hand.  A  wild  huriyskurry  scene  ensued;  each  party 
took  to  the  banks,  the  rocks  and  trees,  to  gaiii  favorable  posi- 
tions, and  an  irregular  firing  was  kept  up  on  either  side,  with- 
out mu(!li  effect.  The  Indian  girl  had  b(»en  hurri(>d  off  by 
h(!r  people  at  the  outbreak  of  th»>  affray.  Slie  would  have 
returned,  through  tho  dang-^rs  of  the  fight,  to  her  husband  and 
lier  child,  but  was  preveritf^l  by  her  brother.  Tho  yoimg 
M(>xican  saw  her  sftiiggl(?s  and  her  agony,  and  heard  her 
piercing  cries.    With  a  generous  impidse  he  caught  up  tho 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


83 


child  in  his  arms,  rushed  forward,  rej^ardless  of  Indian  shaft 
or  rifle,  and  placed  it  in  safi'ty  upon  her  bosom.  Even  the 
Kivage  heart  of  the  Blackfoot  chief  was  reached  by  this  noble 
(Iced.  He  i)ronounced  Loretto  a  madman  for  his  temerity,  but 
b;i(l(' hiir  depart  in  peace.  The  young  Mexican  hesitated;  he 
iir^'cd  to  liavo  his  wife  restored  to  him,  but  her  brother  iuter- 
Icrcd,  and  the  countenance  of  the  chief  grew  dark.  The  girl, 
lir  said,  belonged  to  his  tiibe— she  must  remain  with  her  peo- 
])le.  Loretto  would  still  have  lingered,  but  his  wife  imploj'ed 
hiiii  to  depai't,  lest  his  life  should  be  endangered.  It  was  with 
the  greatest  reluctance  that  he  I'eturned  to  his  companions. 

The  approach  of  night  put  an  end  to  the  skirmishing  lire  of 
the  adverse  [>arties,  and  the  savages  drew  off  without  renew- 
ing their  hostilities.  We  cannot  but  remark  tluit  both  in  this 
iitVnir  and  that  of  Piei're's  Hole  the  affray  commenced  by  a 
lidstile  act  on  the  part  of  white  men  at  the  moment  when  tl^c 
Indian  warrior  was  extending  the  hand  of  amity.  In  neither 
instance,  as  far  as  circumstances  have  been  stated  to  us  by 
<lifl(>ient  persons,  do  we  see  any  reason  to  suspect  the  savage 
chiefs  of  perfidy  in  their  overtures  of  friendship.  They  ad- 
vanced in  the  confiding  way  usual  among  Indians  when  they 
hear  the  pipe  of  peace,  and  consider  themselves  sacred  from 
attack.  If  we  violate  the  sanctity  of  this  ceremonial,  by  any 
liostile  movement  on  our  jiart,  it  is  we  who  incur  the  charge  of 
faithlessness;  and  we  doubt  not  that  in  both  these  instances 
I  lie  white  men  have  been  considered  by  the  Blackfee^t  as  the 
aggressors,  and  have,  in  consequence,  been  held  up  £is  men  not 
to  be  trusted. 

A  word  to  conclude  the  romantic  incident  of  Loretto  and  his 
Indian  bride.  A  few  months  subsecpient  to  the  event  just 
related,  the  young  Mexican  settled  his  accoimts  with  the 
Koeky  M(»uutain  Comi)any,  and  obtained  his  dis<!harge.  lie 
then  left  his  ('(nnrades  and  s<'f  off  to  r<\ioin  his  wile  and  <'iuld 
among  her  people;  and  vv(»  understand  that,  at  the  tune  we  are 
writing  these  pages,  he  resides  at  a  trading-housi^  established 
of  late  by  the  American  Fur  C«>mpany  in  the  Blackfoot  coun- 
tiv.  where  he  acte  as  an  intei'preter,  and  has  his  Indian  girl 
with  him. 


■ 

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V-: 

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84 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

A  WINTER  CAMP  IN  THE  WILDERNESS— MEDLEY  OF  TRAPPERS, 
HUNTERS,  AND  INDIANS  — SCARCITY  OP  GAME  —NEW  ARRANGE- 
MENTS   IN    THE    CAMP— DETACHMENTS    SENT    TO    A  DISTANCE  — 

■  CARELESSNESS  OF  THE  INDIANS  WHEN  ENCAMPED — SICKNESS 
AMONG  THE  INDIANS— EXCELLENT  CHARACTER  OF  THE  NEZ 
PERCES— THE  CAPTAIN'S  EFFORT  AS  A  PACIFICATOR— A  NEZ 
PERCE'S  ARGUMENT  IN  FAVOR  OF  WAR  -  ROBBERIES  BY  THE 
BLACKFEET— LONG  SUFFERING  OF  THE  NEZ  PERCES— A  HUN- 
TER'S ELYSIUM  AIMONG  THE  MOUNTAINS— MORE  ROBBERIES — 
THE  CAPTAIN  PREACHES  UP  A  CRUSADE-  THE  EFFECT  UPON 
HIS  HEARERS. 


For  the  groator  part  of  the  month  of  November  Cay^tain 
Bonneville  remained  in  his  temporary  post  on  Salmon  River. 
He  was  now  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  his  wishes;  leading  a 
hunter's  life  in  the  heart  of  th(^  wilderness,  Avith  all  its  wild 
populace  around  him.  Beside  his  own  people,  motley  in  char- 
acter and  costume  —  Creole,  Kentuckian,  Indinn,  half-lireed, 
hired  trai>per,  and  free  trapper -he  was  surrounded  by  en- 
campments of  Nez  Perces  and  Flatheads,  with  their  droves  of 
horses  covering  the  hills  and  plains.  It  was,  he  declares,  a 
wild  and  bustling  scene,  Tlie  huntin?;  parties  of  white  men 
and  red  men,  continually  sallying-  forth  and  returning;  the 
groups  at  the  various  enc;  mp^  lents,  some  cooking,  some 
working,  some  amusing  themsf^lves  at  dilT(Tent  games:  the 
neighing  of  horses,  the  braying  of  asses,  the  resounding 
strokes  of  tbo  axe,  the  sliarp  report  of  the  rifl(\  tlie  wboop, 
the  halloo,  ;md  the  frequent  burst  of  laughter,  all  in  the  midst 
of  a  region  suddenly  roused  from  perfect  siknice  and  louf^linoss 
by  this  transient  hunters'  sojourn,  realized,  he  says,  the  idea 
of  a  "])oy)ulous  solitude." 

Th(^  kind  and  genial  character  of  the  captain  had.  evidently, 
its  inlluence  on  th(5  opposite*  rac<'s  thus  fortuitously  congregated 
t()gether.  The  most  jierfect  harmony  prevailed  between  th(^m. 
The  Indians,  he  says,  wore  friendly  in  their  dispositions,  and  hon- 
est to  the  most  scrupulous  degree  in  their  intercourse  with  the 
white  men.    It  is  true  they  w.-rc  suineAvhat  importunate  in 


ADVE2iTlinES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEYiLr.E. 


85 


tlieir  curiosity,  and  apt  to  be  continually  in  the  way,  examininj^ 
everything  with  keen  and  prying  eye,  and  wat(;hiiig  every 
niovenient  of  the  wLite  men.  All  this,  however,  was  borne 
with  gi-eat  g'ood-hunior  by  the  captain,  and  through  his  exam- 
l)le  by  his  men.  Indeed,  throughout  all  his  transactions  he 
shows  himself  tlie  friend  of  the  poor  Indians,  and  his  conduct 
toward  them  is  above  all  praise. 

The  Nez  Perces,  the  Flatheads,  and  the  Hanging-ears  pride 
tlioniselves  upon  the  number  of  their  horses,  of  which  they  pos- 
sess more  in  proportion  than  any  other  of  the  mountain  tri^  es 
within  the  buffalo  range.  Many  of  the  Indian  warriors  a  id 
hunters  encamped  around  Captain  Bonneville  possess  f ,  mi 
thirty  to  forty  horses  each.  Their  horses  are  stout,  well-'  'ilt 
])()iuos,  of  groat  wind,  and  capable  of  enduring  the  severest 
linrdship  and  fatigue.  The  sv/iftest  of  them,  however,  are 
those  obtaintKl  from  the  whites  while  sufficiently  young  to  be- 
come accjlimated  and  inured  to  the  rough  service  of  the  moun' 
tains. 

By  degrees  the  populousness  of  this  encampment  began  to 
])roduce  its  inconvenien(;es.  The  immense  droves  of  hbi-ses 
owned  by  the  Indians  consumed  the  herbage  of  the  surround- 
ing hills;  while  to  drive  them  to  any  distant  pasturage,  in  a 
ni  ighborhood  abounding  with  lurking  and  deadly  enemies, 
would  be  to  endanger  the  loss  both  of  man  and  beast.  Game, 
too,  began  to  grow  scarce.  It  was  soon  hunted  and  frightt'iied 
out  of  the  vicinity,  and  though  the  Indians  made  a  wide  cir- 
cuit through  the  mountains  in  the  hoi)e  of  driving  the  buffalo 
toward  the  cantonment,  their  expedition  was  unsuccessful.  It 
was  plain  that  so  large  a  party  could  not  subsist  themselves 
th(>re,  nor  in  any  one  place  throughout  the  winter.  Captain 
Bonneville,  therefore,  altered  his  whole  arrangements.  He  de- 
taclied  fifty  men  toward  the  soulli  to  winter  upon  Snake  Kiver, 
and  to  trap  about  its  waters  in  the  spring,  with  orders  to  rejoin 
li  '  in  the  numth  of  July  at  Horse  Creek,  in  Green  River  val- 
ley, which  he  had  fixed  upon  as  the  general  rendezvous  of  his 
coiupany  for  the  ensuing  year. 

01  all  his  late  party,  he  now  retained  with  him  merely  a 
Bniall  nunil)er  of  free  trappei'S,  with  whom  he  intended  to  so- 
.iouin  among  the  Nez  Perers  and  Flatheads,  and  adopt  the 
I  »;ian  mode  of  inoving  with  tlu;  game  and  grass.  Tliose 
I'iiiids.  in  eilect,  shortly  afterward  broke  up  their  eiieamp- 
luents  and  set  off  for  a  less  beaten  iK'ighborhood.  C\'ip(ain 
T'ounevllle  remained  behuid  for  a  few  days,  that  he  mij^htse- 


i     !    I 


86 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


cretly  prepare  caches,  in  which  to  deposit  everything  not  re- 
quired for  current  use.  Thus  lightened  of  all  superfluous 
incumbrance,  he  set  off  on  the  20th  of  Novemter  to  rejoin  his 
Indian  allies.  He  found  them  encamped  in  a  secluded  part  of 
the  country,  at  the  head  of  a  small  stream.  Considering  them- 
selves out  of  all  danger  in  this  sequestered  spot  from  their  old 
enemies,  the  Blackfeet,  their  encampment  manifested  the  iiio^-t 
negligent  security.  Their  lodges  were  scattered  in  every  direct 
tion,  and  their  horses  covered  every  hill  for  a  great  distance 
lound,  grazing  upon  the  upland  bunch  gi-ass  which  grew  in 
great  abundance,  and  though  dry,,  retained  its  nutritious  prop- 
erties instead  of  losing  them  like  other  grasses  in  the  autumn. 

When  the  Nez  Forces,  Flatheads,  and  Pends  Oreillcs  are  en- 
camped in  a  dangerous  neighborhood,  saj- s  Captain  Bonneville, 
the  greatest  care  is  taken  of  their  horses,  those  prime  articles 
of  Indian  wealth,  and  objects  of  Indian  depredation.  Each 
warrior  has  his  horse  tied  by  one  foot  at  night  to  a  stake  plant- 
ed before  his  lodge.  Here  they  remain  until  broad  daylight ; 
by  that  time  the  young  men  of  the  camjt  are  already  ranging 
over  the  surrounding  hills.  Each  family  then  drives  its  horses 
to  some  eUgible  spot,  where  tliey  are  left  to  graze  unattended. 
A  young  Indian  repairs  occasionally  to  the  pasture  to  give 
them  water,  and  to  sec  that  all  is  avoU.  So  accustomed  are  the 
horees  to  this  management,  that  they  kec^p  together  in  the  pas- 
ture where  they  have  been  left.  As  the  sun  sinks  behind  the 
hills,  they  may  be  seen  moving  from  all  points  toward  the 
camp,  where  they  surrender  themselves  to  be  tied  up  for  the 
night.  Even  in  situations  of  danger,  the  Indians  rarely  set 
guards  over  their  camp  at  night,  intrusting  that  office  entirely 
to  their  vigilant  and  well-trained  dogs. 

In  an  encampment,  however,  of  such  fancied  security  as  that 
in  which  Captain  Bonneville  found  his  Indian  friends,  much 
of  those  precautions  with  respect  to  their  horses  are  omitted. 
They  merely  drive  them,  at  nightfall,  to  some  sequestered  lit- 
tle dell,  and  Iciive  them  there,  at  perfect  liberty,  until  tlie 
morning. 

One  object  of  Captain  Bonneville  in  wintering  among  tlu^se 
Indians  was  to  procure  a  supj^ly  of  horses  against  the  spring. 
They  were,  however,  cxtnMuely  unwilling  to  part  with  {luy, 
and  it  was  with  great  diHiculty  that  he  ]turchased,  at  the  rate 
of  twenty  dollars  cacli,  a  few  for  the  use  of  some  of  his  IVee 
trappers  who  were  on  foot  and  dependent  on  him  for  their 
equipment. 


.i,;fi»;i  I 


ABVEXTUllES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNFVTLIE. 


In  this  encampment  Captain  Bonneville  remained  from  the 
21st  of  November  to  the  9th  of  December.  During  this  period 
the  thermometer  ranged  from  thirteen  to  forty-two  dcgi-ees. 
There  v^^ere  occasional  falls  of  snow;  but  it  generally  melted 
awa}'  almost  immediately,  and  the  tender  blades  ui  new  grass 
began  to  sh(wt  up  among  tlie  old.  On  the  7th  of  December, 
however,  the  thermometer  fell  to  seven  degrees. 

The  reader  will  recollect  that,  on  distributing  his  forces  when 
in  Green  River  vaUey,  Captain  Bonneville  hai)  detached  a 
pnrty,  headed  by  a  leader  of  the  name  of  Mjitthieu,  with  all  the 
weak  and  disabled  horses,  to  sojourn  about  Bear  River,  meet 
tlie  Shoshonie  bands,  and  afterward  to  rejoin  him  at  his  winter 
cam])  on  Salmon  River. 

More  than  sufficient  time  had  elapsed,  yet  Matthieu  failed  to 
make  his  R.[>pearance,  and  uneasiness  began  to  be  felt  on  his 
account.  Captain  Bonneville  sent  out  four  men,  to  range  the 
country  through  which  he  would  have  to  pass,  and  endeavor  to 
get  some  information  concerning  him;  for  his  route  lay  across 
the  great  Snake  River  plain,  which  spreads  itself  out  like  an 
Arabian  desert,  and  on  which  a  cavalcade  could  be  descried  at 
a  great  distance.  The  scouts  soon  returned,  having  proceeded 
no  further  than  the  edge  of  the  plain,  pretending  that  their 
liorses  were  lame;  but  it  was  evident  they  had  feared  to  ven- 
ture, with  so  small  a  force,  into  these  exposed  and  dangerous 
regions. 

A  disease,  which  Captain  Bonneville  supposed  to  be  pneu- 
monia, now  appeared  among  the  Indians,  carrying  off  num- 
bers of  them  after  an  illness  of  three  or  four  days.  The 
worthy  captain  acted  as  physician,  prescribing  i>rofuse  sweat- 
ings and  copious  bleedings,  and  uniformly  with  success,  if  the 
patient  were  subsequently  treated  with  proper  care.  In  extra- 
oi'dinary  cases,  the  poor  savages  calk  d  in  the  aid  of  their  own 
doctors  or  conjurors,  who  officiated  wath  groat  noise  and  mum- 
mery, but  with  little  benefit.  Those  who  died  during  this 
epidemic  were  buried  in  graves,  after  tho  manner  of  the 
whites,  but  without  any  regard  to  the  direction  of  the  head, 
it  is  a  fact  worthy  of  notice  that,  while  this  malady  made  such 
ravnges  among  the  natives,  not  a  single  white  man  had  the 
slightest  symptom  of  it. 

A  familiar  intercourse  of  some  standing  with  the  Pierced- 
noxe  and  Flathead  Indians  had  now  convinced  Cai)tnin  Bonne- 
ville of  their  nmicable  and  inoffensive  character ;  he  began  to 
i;ik>  a  ^strong  interest  in  them,  and  conceived  the  idea  of  be- 


1 

!          i 

i 

^t: :  ^r 


88 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


coming  a  pacificator,  and  iiealing  the  deadly  feud  between 
thein  and  the  Blackfeet,  in  which  they  were  so  deplorably  the 
BufTerors.  He  proposed  the  matter  to  some  of  the  leaders,  and 
urged  that  they  should  meet  the  Blackfeet  chiefs  in  a  grand 
pacific  conference,  offering  to  send  two  of  his  men  to  the 
enemy's  camp  with  pipe,  tobacco  and  flag  of  truce,  to  nego- 
rotiate  tlie  proposed  meeting. 

The  Nez  Perces  and  Flathead  sages  upon  this  held  a  council 
of  war  of  twc  days'  duration,  in  which  there  was  abundance  of 
hard  smoking  and  long  talking,  and  both  eloquence  and  to- 
bacco were  nearly  exhausted.  A.i  length  they  came  to  a  deci- 
sion to  reject  the  worthy  captain's  proposition,  and  upon 
pretty  substanti;il  gi'ounds,  as  the  reader  may  judge. 

"War,"  said  the  chiefs,  "is  a  bloody  business,  and  fidl  of 
evil;  but  it  keeps  the  eyes  of  the  chiefs  always  open,  and 
makes  the  hmbs  of  the  young  men  strong  and  supple.  In  ^\\\v, 
every  one  is  on  the  alert.  If  we  see  a  ti-ail  we  know  it  must  be 
an  enemy ;  if  the  Blackfeet  come  to  us,  we  know  it  is  for  wai', 
and  we  are  ready.  Peace,  on  the  other  hand,  sounds  no  alarm ; 
the  eyes  of  the  chiefs  are  closed  in  sleep,  and  the  young  men 
are  sleek  and  lazy.  The  horses  stray  into  the  mountains ;  the 
women  and  their  little  babes  go  about  alone.  But  the  heart  of 
a  Blackfoot  is  a  lie,  and  his  tongue  is  a  trap.  If  he  says  peace 
it  is  to  deceive ;  he  comes  to  us  as  a  brother ;  he  smokes  his 
pipe  with  us ;  but  when  he  sees  us  weak,  and  off  our  guard,  ho 
will  slay  and  steal.  We  will  have  no  such  peace ;  let  there  be 
war !" 

With  this  reasoning  Captain  Bonneville  was  fain  to  ac- 
quiesce; but,  since  the  sagacious  Flatheads  and  their  allies 
were  content  to  remain  m  a  state  of  warfare,  he  wished  them 
at  least  to  exercise  the  boasted  vigilance  which  war  was  to 
produce,  and  to  keep  their  eyes  open.  lie  represented  to  them 
the  impossibility  that  two  such  considerable  clans  could  move 
about  the  country  without  leaving  trails  by  which  they  might 
b(}  traced.  Besides,  among  the  Blackfeet  braves  were  several 
Nez  Perces,  who  had  been  taken  prisoners  in  early  youth, 
adopted  by  their  captors,  nnd  trained  up  and  imbued  with 
warlike  and  predatory  notions ;  these  had  lost  all  sympathies 
Avith  their  native  tribe,  and  would  be  prone  to  lead  the  enemy 
to  their  st'cret  haunts.  lie  exhorted  them,  therofore.  to  keep 
\\\)on  the  alert,  and  never  to  remit  their  vigilance  while  within 
the  range  of  so  crafty  and  cruel  a  in<\  All  these  counsels  were 
lost  upon  his  easy  and  simple-minded  hearers.     A  careless  in- 


";.i- 


ADVEyruiih:.^  of  captain  bonnevillk 


80 


r  ii 


■?i 


iliircrenco  reig:iied  throiigliout  their  encampments,  and  their 
horses  were  ])ermitted  to  range  the  hills  at  night  in  perlect 
freedom,  Ciiptain  Bonneville  had  his  own  horses  brought  in 
at  night,  and  properly  picketed  and  guarded.  The  evil  he  ap- 
pn^hended  soon  took  i)Lu'e,  In  a  single  night  a  swoop  was 
made  through  the  i\eighboring  pastures  by  the  Blackfeet,  and 
ciglity-six  of  the  linest  horses  carried  off.  A  whip  and  a  rope 
were  left  in  a  conspicuous  situation  by  the  robljers,  as  a  taimt 
to  the  sim])letons  they  had  unhorsed. 

Long  before  sunrise  the  news  of  this  calamity  spread  like 
wildfire  through  the  different  encampments.  Captain  Bonne- 
ville, whose  own  horses  remained  safe  at  their  pickets,  watched 
in  momentary  expectation  of  an  outbreak  of  warriors,  Pierced- 
nose  and  Flathead,  in  furious  pursuit  of  the  marauders;  Iiut 
no  such  thing— they  contented  themselves  with  searching  dili- 
gently over  hill  and  dale,  to  glean  uj)  such  horses  as  h;ul 
escaped  the  hands  of  the  marauders,  and  then  resigned  them> 
selves  to  their  loss  with  the  most  exemplary  quiescence. 

Some,  it  is  true,  who  were  entirely  imhorsed,  set  out  on  a 
begging  visit  to  their  cousins,  as  they  called  them,  the  Lower 
Nez  Perces,  who  ^. habit  the  lower  country  about  the  Colum- 
bia, and  possess  horses  in  abundance.  To  these  tliey  repair 
viien  in  difficulty,  and  seldom  fail,  by  dint  of  begging  and  bar- 
tering, to  got  themselves  ont.'e  more  mounted  on  horseback. 

Game  had  now  become  scarce  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
cam]),  and  it  was  necessary,  according  to  Indian  custom,  to 
move  off  to  a  less  beaten  ground.  Captain  I>onneville  pro- 
posed the  Horse  Prairie;  but  his  Indian  friends  objected  that 
many  of  the  Nez  Perces  had  gone  to  visit  their  cousins,  and 
that  the  whites  were  few  in  number,  so  that  their  united  f(n'co 
was  not  sufficient  to  venture  upon  the  buffalo  grounds,  which 
were  infested  by  bands  of  Blackfeet. 

They  now  spoke  of  a  pla(  -e  at  no  great  distance,  which  they 
represented  as  a  perfect  himter's  elysiiun.  It  was  on  th(^  right 
branch,  or  head  stream  of  the  river,  locked  up  among  cliffs  and 
precipices  where  there  was  no  danger  from  roving  bands,  and 
wliei'o  the  Blackfeet  dare  not  enter.  Here,  they  said,  the  elk 
abounded,  and  the  mountain  sheep  were  to  be  seen  trooping 
upon  the  rocks  and  hills.  A  little  distance  beyond  it,  also, 
herds  of  buffalo  were  to  be  met  with,  out  of  the  range  of  dan- 
ger.   Thither  tliey  proposed  to  move  their  camp. 

The  proposition  pleased  the  captain,  Avho  was  desirous, 
through  the  Indians,  of   becoming  acquainted  with  aU    the 


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90 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


secret  places  of  the  land.  Accordingly,  on  the  9th  of  Decem- 
ber, they  struck  their  tents,  and  moved  forward  by  short 
stages,  as  many  of  the  Indians  were  yet  feeble  from  the  late 
malady. 

Following  up  the  right  fork  of  the  river  they  came  to  where 
it  entered  a  deep  gorge  of  the  mountains,  up  which  lay  the  se- 
cluded region  so  much  valued  by  the  Indians.  Captain  Bonne- 
ville halted  and  encamped  for  three  days  before  entering  the 
gorge.  In  the  meantime  he  detached  five  of  his  free  trappers 
to  scour  the  hills,  and  kill  as  many  elk  as  possible,  before  the 
main  body  should  enter,  as  they  would  then  be  soon  frightened 
away  by  the  various  Indian  hunting  parties. 

While  thus  encamped,  they  were  still  liable  to  the  marauds 
of  the  Blackfeet,  and  Captain  Bonneville  admonished  his 
Indian  friends  to  be  upon  their  guard.  The  Nez  Perces,  how- 
ever, notwithstanding  their  recent  loss,  were  still  careless  of 
their  horses ;  merely  driving  them  to  some  secluded  spot,  and 
leaving  them  there  for  the  night,  without  setting  any  guard 
upon  them.  The  consequence  was  a  second  swoop,  in  which 
forty-one  were  carried  off.  This  was  borne  with  equal  philoso- 
phy with  the  first,  and  no  effort  was  made  either  to  recover 
the  horses,  or  to  take  vengeance  on  the  thieves. 

The  Nez  Perces,  however,  grew  more  cautious  with  respect 
to  their  remaining  horses,  driving  them  regularly  to  the  camp 
every  evening,  and  fastening  them  to  pickets.  Captain  Bonne- 
ville, however,  told  them  that  this  was  not  enough.  It  was 
evident  they  were  dogged  by  a  daring  and  persevering  enemy, 
who  was  encouraged  by  past  impunity;  they  should,  there- 
fore, take  more  than  usual  precautions,  and  post  a  guard  at 
night  over  their  cavalry.  They  could  not,  however,  be  per- 
suaded to  depart  from  their  usual  custom.  The  horse  once 
picketed,  the  care  of  the  owner  was  over  for  the  night,  and  he 
slept  profoundly.  None  waked  in  the  camp  but  the  gamblers, 
who,  absorbed  in  their  play,  were  more  difficult  to  be  roused 
to  external  circumstances  than  even  the  sleepers. 

The  Blackfeet  are  bold  enemies,  and  fond  of  hazardous  ex 
ploits.  The  band  that  wore  hovering  about  the  neighborhood, 
finding  that  they  had  such  pacific  people  to  deal  with,  re- 
doubled their  daring.  The  horses  being  now  picketed  before 
the  lodges,  a  number  of  Blackfeet  scouts  penetrated  in  the 
early  ])art  of  the  night  into  the  very  centre  of  the  camp.  Here 
they  went  about  among  the  lodges  as  calmly  and  deliberately  as 
if  at  home,  quietly  cutting  loose  the  horses  that  stood  picketed 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


91 


by  the  lodges  of  their  sleeping  owners.  One  of  these  prowloi's, 
move  adventurous  than  the  rest,  approached  a  tire  round  which 
a  group  of  Nez  Perces  were  gambling  with  the  most  intense 
eagerness.  Here  he  stood  for  some  time,  mutfled  up  in  his 
robe,  peering  over  the  shoulders  of  the  players,  watehing  the 
changes  of  theii*  countenances  and  the  fluctuations  of  the 
gjime.  So  completely  engrossed  were  they,  that  the  presence 
of  tliis  muffled  eaves-dropper  was  unnoticed  and,  having  exe- 
cuted his  bravado,  he  retired  undiscovered. 

Having  cut  loose  as  many  horses  as  they  could  conveniently 
carry  ottV  tli<^  Blackfeet  scouts  rejoined  their  comrades,  and 
all  remained  patiently  round  the  camp.  By  degrees  the 
hoi-ses,  finding  themselves  at  liberty,  took  their  route  toward 
their  customary  grazing  ground.  As  they  emerged  from  the 
caui})  they  were  silently  taken  possession  of,  until,  having 
secured  about  thirty,  the  Blackfeet  sprang  on  their  backs 
and  scampered  off.  The  clatter  of  hoofs  startled  the  gam- 
blers from  their  game.  They  gave  the-  alarm,  which  soon 
roused  the  sleepers  from  every  lodge.  Still  all  was  quiescent ; 
no  marshalling  of  forces,  no  saddling  of  steeds  and  dashing 
otf  in  pursuit,  no  talk  of  retribution  for  their  repeated  out- 
rages. The  patience  of  Captain  Bonneville  was  at  length  ex- 
hausted. He  had  played  the  part  of  a  pacificator  without 
success ;  he  now  altered  his  tone,  and  resolved,  if  possible,  to 
rouse  their  war  spirit. 

Accordingly,  convoking  Uieir  chiefs,  he  inveighed  against 
their  craven  policy,  and  urged  the  necessity  of  vigorous  and 
retributive  measures  that  would  check  the  confidence  and 
presumption  of  their  enemies,  if  not  inspire  them  with  awe. 
I\)r  this  purpose,  he  advised  that  a  war  party  should  be  imme- 
diately sent  off  on  the  trail  of  the  marauders,  to  follow  them, 
if  necessary,  into  the  very  heart  of  the  Blackfoot  country,  and 
not  to  leave  them  untfl  they  had  taken  signal  vengeance.  Be- 
side tliis,  he  recommended  the  organization  of  minor  war 
l)artie3,  to  make  reprisals  to  the  extent  of  the  losses  sustained. 
"Unless  you  rouse  yourselves  from  j^our  apathy,"  said  he, 
"and  strike  so^ao  bold  and  decisive  Mew,  you  will  cease  to  bo 
considered  m  'n,  or  objects  of  manly  warfare.  The  very 
squaws  and  cji]di'<'nof  the  Blackfeet  will  be  set  against  you.  \^ 
while  their  w.i'-rijrs  reserve  themselves  for  nobler  antag- 
onists." 

This  harangue  had  evidently  a  momentary  effect  upon  the 
pride  of  the  hearers.     After  a  short  pause,  however,  one  of  the 


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ADVENTUREf^  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


orators  arose.  It  was  bad,  he  said,  to  go  to  war  for  mere  re- 
venge. The  Great  Spirit  had  given  them  a  heai-t  for  peace, 
not  for  war.  They  had  lost  horses,  it  was  true,  but  they  could 
easily  get  others  from  their  cousins,  the  Lower  Nez  Forces, 
without  incurring  any  risk ;  whereas,  in  war  they  should  lose 
men,  who  were  not  so  readily  replaced.  As  to  their  late  losses, 
an  increased  watchfidness  would  prevent  any  more  misfor- 
tunes of  the  kind.  He  disappro^'^ed,  therefore,  of  all  hostile 
measures;  and  all  the  other  chiefs  concuiTed  in  iiis  opinion. 

Captain  Bonneville  again  took  up  the  point.  "It  is  true," 
said  he,  "the  Great  Spirit  has  given  you  a  heart  to  love  your 
friends;  but  he  has  also  given  you  an  arm  to  strike  your 
enemies.  Unless  you  do  something  speedily  to  put  an  end  to 
this  continual  plundering,  I  must  say  farewell.  As  yet  I  have 
sustained  no  los9;  thanks  to  the  precautions  which  you  have 
slighted ;  but  my  property  is  too  unsafe  here ;  my  turn  will 
come  next ;  I  and  my  people  wiU  share  the  contempt  you  are 
bringing  upon  yourselves,  and  will  be  thought,  like  you,  poor- 
spirited  beings,  who  may  at  any  time  be  plundered  with  im- 
punity." 

The  conference  broke  up  with  some  signs  of  excitement  on 
the  part  of  the  Indians.  Early  the  next  morning,  a  party  of 
thirty  men  set  off  in  pursuit  of  the  foe,  and  Captain  Bonne- 
ville hoped  to  hear  a  good  account  of  the  Blackfeet  marau- 
ders. To  his  disappointment,  the  war  party  came  lagging 
back  on  the  following  day,  leading  a  few  old,  sori'v,  b  'oken- 
down  horses,  which  the  free-booters  had  not  been  able  to  urge 
to  suificient  speed.  This  effort  exhausted  the  martial  spirit, 
and  satisfied  the  wounded  pride  of  the  Nez  Ferces,  and  they 
relapsed  into  their  usual  state  of  passive  indifference. 


CHAFTER  XIII. 


M 


STORY  OP    K08ATO,   THE  RENEGADE  BLACKFOOT. 

If   the  meekness  and  long-sufferinf;  of   the  Piorced-nosos 
grieved  the  spirit  of  Captain  Bonneville,  there  was  another  in 
dividual  in  the  camp  to  whom  they  wore  still  more  annoying. 
This  was  a  Blackfoot  renegado,  namo<l  Kosato,  a  fiery  liot- 
blooded  youth  who,  with  a  beautiful  girl  of  the  lainc  tribe, 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAiy  BONNEVILLE. 


93 


had  taken  refuge  among  the  Ne?;  Percys.  Though  adopted 
into  the  tribe,  he  still  retained  the  warlike  si)irit  of  his  race, 
and  loathed  the  peaceful,  inoffensive  habits  of  those  around 
him.  The  hunting  of  the  deer,  the  elk,  and  the  buffalo,  which 
was  the  height  of  their  ambition,  was  too  tame  to  satisfy  his 
wi  d  and  restless  nature.  His  heart  burned  for  the  foray,  the 
ambush,  the  skirmish,  the  scamper,  and  all  the  haps  and 
hazards  of  roving  and  predatory  w^arfare. 

The  recent  hoverings  of  the  Biackfeet  about  the  camp,  their 
nifthtly  prowls  and  daring  and  successful  marauds,  had  kept 
him  in  a  fever  and  a  flutter,  like  a  hawk  in  a  cage  who  hears 
his  late  companions  swooping  and  screaming  in  wild  liberty 
above  him.  The  attempt  of  Captain  Bonneville  to  rouse  the 
war  spirit  of  the.  Joz  Forces,  and  prompt  them  to  retaliation, 
was  ardently  seconded  by  Kosato.  For  several  days  he  was 
incessantly  devising  schemes  of  vengeance,  and  endeavoring  to 
sot  on  foot  an  expedition  that  should  carry  dismay  and  desola- 
tion into  the  Blackfeefc  town.  All  his  art  was  exerted  to  touch 
upon  those  springs  of  human  action  with  which  ho  wjis  most 
familiar.  He  drew  the  listening  savages  round  him  by  Ms  ner- 
vous eloquence ;  taunted  them  with  recitals  of  past  wrongs  and 
insults ;  drew  glowing  pictures  of  triumphs  and  trophies  within 
their  reach;  recounted  tales  of  daring  and  romantic  enterprise, 
of  secret  marchings,  covert  lurkings,  midnight  surprisals,  sack- 
ings, burnings,  plunderings,  scalpings;  together  with  the  tri- 
umphant return,  and  the  feasting  and  rejoicing  of  the  victors. 
These  wild  tales  were  intermingled  with  the  beating  of  the 
dnun,  the  yell,  the  war-whoop  and  the  war-dance,  so  inspiring 
to  Indian  valor.  All,  however,  were  lost  upon  the  peaceful 
spirits  of  his  hearers ;  not  a  Nez  Perce  was  to  be  roused  to  ven- 
geance, or  stimulated  to  glorious  war.  In  the  bitterness  of  his 
heart,  the  Blackfoot  renegado  repined  at  the  mishap  which  had 
sov(»red  him  from  a  race  of  congenial  spirits,  and  driven  him  to 
take  refuge  among  beings  so  destitute  of  martial  fire. 

Th(»  character  and  conduct  of  this  man  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  Captain  Bonneville,  and  he  wtis  anxious  to  hear  the 
reason  why  he  had  deserted  his  tribe,  and  why  he  looked  back 
upon  them  with  such  deadly  hostility.  Kosato  told  him  his 
own  story  briefly:  it  gives  a  picture  of  the  deep,  strong  pas- 
sions that  work  in  the  bosoms  of  these  miscalled  stoics. 

"  You  see  my  wife,"  said  he,  *'  she  is  good ;  she  is  beautiful— 
I  love  her.  Yet  she  has  been  the  cause  of  all  my  troubles. 
She  was  the  wife  of  my  chief.    I  loved  hor  moi*e  than  he  did ; 


•'.'  ^a 


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94 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


and  she  knew  it.  We  talked  together ;  we  lauf^hed  together ;  wo 
were  always  seeking  each  other's  society ;  but  we  were  as  inno- 
cent as  children.  The  chief  grew  jealous,  and  commanded  her 
to  speak  with  me  no  more.  His  heart  became  hard  toward  her ; 
his  jealousy  grew  more  furious.  He  beat  her  without  cause  a nd 
without  mercy ;  and  threatened  to  kill  her  outright  if  she  even 
looked  at  me.  Do  you  want  traces  of  his  fury  ?  Look  at  that  scar ! 
His  rage  against  me  was  no  less  persecuting.  War  parties  oi: 
the  Crows  were  hovering  roimd  us ;  our  young  men  had  seen 
their  trail.  All  hearts  were  roused  for  action ;  my  horses  were 
before  my  lodge.  Suddenly  the  chief  came,  took  them  to  his 
own  pickets,  and  called  them  his  own.  What  could  I  do?  ho 
was  a  chief.  I  durst  not  speak,  but  my  heart  was  burning.  I 
joined  no  longer  in  the  council,  the  hunt,  or  the  war-feast. 
What  had  I  to  do  there?  an  unhorsed,  degraded  warrior.  I 
kept  by  myself,  and  thought  of  nothing  but  these  wrongs  and 
outrages. 

'*  I  was  sitting  one  evening  upon  a  knoll  that  overlooked  the 
meadow  whore  the  horses  were  pastured.  I  saw  the  horses  that 
were  once  mine  gi*azing  among  those  of  the  chief.  This  mad- 
dened me,  and  I  sat  brooding  for  a  time  over  the  injuries  I  had 
suffered,  and  the  cruelties  which  she  I  loved  had  endured  for 
my  sake,  until  my  heart  swelled  and  grew  sore,  and  my  teeth 
were  clinched.  As  I  looked  down  upon  the  meadow  I  saw  the 
chief  walking  among  his  horses.  I  fastened  my  eyes  upon  him 
as  a  hawk's ;  my  blood  boiled ;  I  drew  my  breath  hard.  He  went 
among  the  willows.  In  an  instant  I  was  on  my  feet;  my  hand 
was  on  my  knife  —I  flew  rather  than  ran — before  he  was  aware 
I  sprang  upon  him,  and  with  two  blows  laid  him  dead  at  my 
feet.  I  covered  his  body  with  earth,  and  strewed  bushes  ove.' 
the  place ;  then  I  hastened  to  her  I  loved,  told  her  what  I  had 
done,  and  urged  her  to  fly  with  me.  She  only  answered  me 
with  tears.  I  remPndcd  her  of  the  wrongs  I  had  suffered,  and 
of  the  blows  and  stripes  she  had  endured  from  the  deceased;  I 
had  done  nothing  but  an  act  of  justice.  I  again  urged  her  to 
fly ;  but  she  only  wept  the  more,  and  bade  me  go.  My  heart 
was  heavy,  but  my  eyes  were  dry.  I  folded  my  arms.  '  'Tis 
well,' said  I;  '  Kosato  will  go  alone  to  the  desert.  None  will 
be  with  him  but  the  wild  beasts  of  the  desert.  The  seekers 
of  blood  may  follow  on  his  trail.  Thoty  may  come  upon  him 
when  he  sleeps  and  glut  their  revenge ;  but  you  will  be  safe. 
Kosato  will  go  alone.' 

"I  tui*ned  away.    She  sprang  after  me,  and  strained  me  in 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BOyXEVILLE. 


on 


her  arms.  *  No, '  cried  she,  '  Kosato  shall  not  go  alono  1  Wher- 
ever he  goes  I  will  go— he  shall  never  part  from  me.' 

"  We  hjistily  took  in  our  hands  such  things  as  we  most 
needed,  and  stealing  quietly  from  the  village,  mounted  the  first 
horses  we  encountered.  Speeding  day  and  night,  we  soon 
rciiched  this  tribe.  They  received  us  with  welcome,  and  wo 
have  dwelt  with  them  in  peace.  They  are  good  and  kind ;  they 
are  honest ;  but  their  hearts  are  the  hearts  of  women." 

Such  was  the  story  of  Kosato,  as  related  by  him  to  Captain 
Bonneville.  It  is  of  a  kind  that  often  occurs  in  Indian  life ; 
where  love  elopements  from  tribe  to  tribe  are  as  frequent  as 
among  the  novel-read  heroes  and  heroines  of  sentimental 
civilization,  and  often  give  rise  to  bloody  and  lasting  feuds. 


.H 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


THE  PARTY  ENTERS  THE  MOUNTAIN  GORQE— A  WILD  FASTNESS 
AMONG  HILLS  -MOUNTAIN  MUTTON— PEACE  AND  PLENTY— THE 
AMOROUS  TRAPPER— A  PIEBALD  WEDDING -A  FREE  TRAPPER'S 
WIFE— HER  GALA  EQUIPMENTS— CHRISTMAS  IN  THE  WILDER- 
NESS. 

On  the  19th  of  December  Captain  Bonneville  and  his  con- 
federate Indians  raised  their  camp,  and  entered  the  narrow 
gorge  made  by  the  north  fork  of  Salmon  River.  Up  this  lay 
the  secure  and  plenteous  himting  region  so  temptingly  described 
by  the  Indians. 

Since  leaving  Green  River  the  plains  had  invariably  been  of 
loose  sand  or  coarse  gravel,  and  the  rocky  formation  of  the 
mountains  of  primitive  limestone.  The  rivers,  in  general, 
wore  skii'tod  with  willows  and  bitter  cotton-wood  trees,  and 
tlio  prairies  covered  with  wormwood.  In  the  hollow  breast  of 
the  mountains  which  they  were  now  penetrating,  the  surround- 
ing heights  were  clothed  with  pine;  while  the  declivities  of  the 
lower  hills  afforded  abundance  of  bunch  grass  for  the  horses. 

As  the  Indians  had  represented,  they  were  now  in  a  natural 
fastness  of  the  mountains,  the  ingress  and  egress  of  which  was 
by  a  deep  gorge,  so  narrow,  nigged,  and  difficult  as  to  prevent 
socret  approach  or  rapid  retreat,  and  to  admit  of  easy  defence. 
Tlic  131arkfeet,  therefore,  refrained  from  venturing  in  after  tho 


I;.' 


w 


96 


ADVENTURES  OF   ''APT A IX  BONNEVILLE. 


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Nez  Forces,  awaiting  a  better  chance,  when  they  should  onco 
more  emerge  into  the  open  country. 

Captain  Bonneville  soon  found  that  the  Indians  had  not  ex- 
aggerate d  tlie  advantages  of  this  region.  Besides  the  numer- 
ous gangs  of  elk,  large  flocks  of  the  ahsahta  or  bighorn,  tho 
mountain  sheep,  were  to  be  seen  bounding  among  the  preci- 
pices. These  simple  animals  were  easily  circumvented  and 
destroyed.  A  few  hunters  may  surround  a  flock  and  kill  as 
many  as  tiiey  please.  Numbers  were  daily  brought  into 
camp,  and  the  flesh  of  those  which  were  young  and  fat  was 
extolled  fis  superior  to  the  finest  mutton. 

Here,  then,  there  was  a  cessation  from  toil,  from  hunger, 
and  alarm.  Past  ills  and  dangers  were  forgotten.  The  hunt, 
the  game,  the  song,  the  story,  the  rough  though  good-hu- 
mored joke,  made  time  pas^s  joyously  away,  and  plenty  and 
security  reigned  throughout  the  camp. 

Idleness  and  ease,  it  is  said,  lead  to  love,  and  love  to  mati-i- 
mony,  in  civilized  life,  and  the  same  process  takes  place  in  the 
wilderness.  Filled  with  good  cheer  and  mountain  mutton, 
one  of  the  free  trappers  began  to  repine  at  the  solitude  of  his 
lodge,  and  to  experience  the  force  of  that  great  law  of  nature, 
"  it  is  not  meet  for  man  to  live  alone. " 

After  a  night  of  grave  cogitation  he  repaired  to  Kowsoter, 
the  Pierced-nose  chief,  and  unfolded  to  him  the  secret  work- 
ings of  his  bosom. 

"I  want,"  snid  he,  "a  wife.  Give  me  one  from  among  your 
tribe.  Not  a  young,  giddy-pated  girl,  that  will  think  of  noth- 
ing but  flauniiuA  and  finery,  but  a  sober,  discreet,  hard- work 
ing  squaw ;  one  that  will  share  my  lot  without  flinching,  how- 
ever hard  it  may  be ;  that  can  take  care  of  my  lodge,  and  bo 
a  companion  and  a  helpmate  to  me  in  the  wilderness."  Kow- 
soter promised  to  look  rv'>'tnd  among  the  females  of  his  tribe, 
and  procure  such  a  one  as  he  desired.  Two  days  were  requi- 
site for  the  search.  At  the  expiration  of  these,  Kowsoter 
called  at  his  lodge,  and  informed  him  that  he  would  bring 
his  bride  to  him  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon.  He  kept  his 
word.  At  the  appointed  time  he  approached,  leading  the 
bride,  a  comely  copper-colored  dame  attired  in  her  Indian 
finery.  Her  father,  mother,  brothers  by  the  half  dozen  and 
cousins  by  the  score,  all  followed  on  to  grace  the  ceremony 
and  greet  the  new  and  important",  relative. 

The  trapper  received  his  new  and  numerous  family  connec- 
tion with  proper  solemnity;  he  placed  his  bride  beside  him, 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTATN  BOyNEVlLU:. 


97 


and,  filling  the  pipe,  the  great  symbol  of  peace,  with  his  best 
tobacco,  took  two  or  three  whiffs,  then  handed  it  to  the  chief 
wlio  transferred  it  to  the  father  of  the  bride,  from  whom  it 
was  passed  on  from  hand  to  hand  and  mouth  to  moiitli  of  the 
whole  circle  of  kinsmen  round  the  fire,  all  maintaining  the 
most  profound  and  becoming  silence. 

After  several  pipes  had  been  filled  and  emptied  in  this  sol- 
emn ceremonial,  the  chief  addressed  the  bride,  detailing  at 
C(jnsiderable  length  the  duties  of  a  wife  Avhi'-h,  among  In- 
dians, are  little  less  onerous  than  those  of  the  pack-horse; 
this  done,  he  turned  to  her  friends  and  congratulated  them 
upon  the  great  alliance  she  had  made.  They  showed  a  due 
sense  of  their  good  fortune,  especially  when  the  nuptial  pres- 
ents came  to  be  distributed  among  the  chiefs  and  relatives, 
amounting  to  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  dollai*s.  The 
company  soon  retired,  and  now  the  worthy  trapper  found 
indeed  that  he  had  no  green  girl  to  deal  with ;  for  the  know- 
ing dame  at  once  assumed  the  style  and  dignity  of  a  trapper's 
wife:  taking  possession  of  the  lodge  as  her  undisputed  em- 
pire, arranging  everything  according  to  her  own  taste  and 
habitudes,  and  appearing  as  much  at  home  and  on  as  easy 
terms  with  the  trapper  as  if  they  had  been  man  and  wife  for 
years. 

We  have  already  given  a  picture  of  a  free  trapper  and  his 
horse,  as  furnished  by  Captain  Bonneville :  we  shall  here  sub- 
join, as  a  companion  picture,  his  description  of  a  free  trap- 
per's wife,  that  the  reader  may  have  a  correct  idea  of  the  kind 
of  blessing  the  worthy  hunter  in  question  had  invoked  to  so- 
lace him  in  the  wilderness. 

"The  free  trapper,  while  a  bachelor,  has  no  greater  pet  than 
his  horse ;  but  the  moment  he  takes  a  wife  (a  sort  of  brevet 
rank  in  matrimony  occasionally  bestowed  upon  some  Indian 
fair  one,  like  the  heroes  of  ancient  chivalry  in  the  open  field), 
he  discovers  that  he  has  a  still  more  fanciful  and  capricious 
animal  on  which  to  lavish  his  expenses. 

"No  sooner  does  an  Indian  belle  experience  this  promotion, 
than  all  her  notions  at  once  rise  and  expand  to  the  dignity  of 
hor  situation,  and  the  purse  of  her  lover,  and  his  credit  into 
the  bargain,  are  taxed  to  the  utmost  to  fit  her  out  in  becoming 
style.  The  wife  of  a  free  trapper  to  be  equipped  and  ai'rayed 
like  any  ordinary  and  undistingiiished  squaw?  Perish  the 
provclling  thought!  In  the  first  place,  she  must  have  a  horse 
tor  her  own  riding ;  but  no  jaded,  sorry,  earth-spirited  hack, 


i;  111 


•:■    it 


m 


II 


ii 


M 


fi'H 


•tnr 


98 


ADVEM'UJlh'S  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


:l 


|4 


such  as  is  sometimes  assigned  by  an  Indian  husband  for  the 
transportation  of  his  squaw  and  her  pappooses :  the  wife  of  a 
free  trapper  must  have  the  most  beautiful  animal  she  can  lay 
her  eyes  on.  And  then,  as  to  his  decoration :  headstall,  breast- 
bands,  saddle  and  crupper  are  la\ishly  embroidered  with  beads, 
and  hung  with  thimbles,  hawks'  bolls,  and  bunches  of  ribbons. 
From  each  side  of  the  saddle  hangs  an  esquimoot,  a  sort  of 
pocket,  in  which  she  bestows  the  lesidue  of  her  trinkets  and 
nick-nacks,  which  cannot  be  crowded  on  the  decoration  of  her 
horse  or  herself,  .  Over  this  she  folds,  with  great  care,  a 
drapery  of  scarlet  and  bright-colored  calicoes,  and  now  con- 
siders  the  capaiison  of  her  steed  complete. 

"As  to  her  own  person,  she  is  even  still  more  extravagant. 
Her  hair,  esteemed  beautiful  in  proportion  to  its  length,  is 
carefully  plaited,  and  made  to  fall  with  seeming  negligence 
over  eitlier  breast.  Her  riding  hat  is  stuck  full  of  party-col- 
ored feathers :  her  robe,  fashioned  somewhat  after  that  of  the 
whites,  is  of  red,  green,  and  sometimes  gray  cloth,  but  always 
of  the  finest  textiH'o  that  can  be  procured.  Her  leggins  and 
moccasins  are  of  the  most  beautiful  and  expensive  workman- 
ship, and  fitted  neatly  to  the  foot  and  ankle,  which  with  the 
Indian  women  are  generally  well  formed  and  delicate.  Then 
as  to  jewelry :  in  the  way  of  finger-rings,  ear-rings,  necklaces, 
and  other  female  glories,  nothing  within  roach  of  the  trapper's 
means  is  omitted  that  can  tend  to  impress  the  beholder  with 
an  idea  of  the  lady's  high  estate.  To  finish  the  who!"  9,  she  se- 
lects from  among  her  blankets  of  various  dyes  one  of  some 
glowing  color,  and  throwing  it  over  her  shoulders  with  a  na- 
tive  grace,  vaults  into  the  saddle  of  her  gay,  prancing  steed, 
and  is  ready  to  follow  her  mountaineer  '  to  the  last  gasp  with 
love  and  loyalty.' " 

Such  is  the  general  picture  of  the  free  trapper's  wife,  given 
by  Captain  Bonneville ;  how  far  it  applied  in  its  details  to  tho 
one  in  question  does  not  altogether  appear,  though  it  would 
soora  from  the  outset  of  her  connubijil  career,  that  sjie  was 
ready  to  avail  herself  of  all  the  pomp  and  circumstance  of  her 
new  condition.  It  is  worthy  of  mention  that  wherever  there 
are  several  wives  of  free  trappers  in  a  camp,  the  keenest  rival- 
ry exists  between  them,  to  tho  sorc  detriment  of  their  hus- 
bands' purses.  Their  whole  time  is  expended  and  their  inge- 
nuity tasked  by  endeavors  to  eclipse  each  other  in  dress  and 
decoration.  The  jealousies  and  heart-burnings  thns  occasioned 
among  these  so-stylcji  children  of  nature  are  equally  intense 


ABVEyTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


99 


with  those  of  the  rival  leaders  of  style  and  fashion  in  the  luxu- 
rious abodes  of  civilized  life. 

The  genial  festival  of  Cliristmas,  which  throughout  all  Chris- 
tendom lights  up  the  fireside  of  home  with  mirth  and  jollity, 
folioweu  hard  upon  the  wedding  just  described.  Though  far 
from  kindred  and  friends,  Captain  Bonneville  and  his  handful 
of  free  trappers  were  not  disposed  to  suffer  the  festival  to  pass 
unenjoyed ;  they  were  in  a  region  of  good  cheer,  and  were  dis- 
posed to  be  joyous;  so  it  was  determined  to  "*'  light  up  the  yule 
clog,"  and  celebrate  a  merry  Christmas  in  the  heart  of  the 
wilderness. 

On  Christmas  eve,  accordingly,  they  began  their  rude  fetes 
and  rejoicings.  In  the  course  of  the  night  the  free  trappei-s 
surrounded  the  lodge  of  the  Pierced-nose  chief  and  in  lieu  of 
Christmas  carols,  saluted  him  with  a  feu  clejoie. 

Kowsoter  received  it  in  a  truly  Christian  spirit,  and  after  a 
speech,  in  which  he  expressed  his  high  gratification  at  the 
honor  done  him,  invited  the  whole  company  to  a  feast  on  the 
following  day.  His  invitation  was  gladly  accepted.  A  Christ- 
mas dinner  in  the  wigwam  of  an  Indian  chief  1  There  was  nov- 
elty in  the  idea.  Not  one  failed  to  be  present.  The  banquet 
was  served  up  in  primitive  style:  skins  of  various  kinds,  nicely 
dressed  for  the  occasion,  were  spread  upon  the  ground ;  upon 
these  were  heaped  up  abundance  of  venison,  elk  meat,  and 
mountain  mutton,  with  various  bitter  roots  which  the  Indians 
use  as  condiments. 

After  a  short  prayer,  the  company  all  seated  themselves 
cross-legged,  in  Turkish  fashion,  to  the  banquet,  which  passed 
off  with  great  hilarity.  After  wliich  various  games  of  strength 
and  agility  by  both  white  men  and  Indians  closed  the  Christ- 
mas festivities. 


■m 


^?  jr 


if  -f 


100        ADVEJS'TURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE, 


CHAPTER  XV. 


^  lit 


ft  i 


1^ « 

,v      ii 


It 


A  HUNT  AFTER  HUNTERS— HUNGRY  TIMES— A  VORACIOUS  RE- 
PAST—WINTRY WEATHER— GODIN'S  RIVER— SPLENDID  WINTER 
SCENE  ON  THE  GREAT  LAVA  PLAIN  OP  SNAKE  RIVER— SEVERE 
TRAVELUNG  AND  TRAMPING    IN  THE  SNOW— MANOEUVRES  OF  A 

souTARY  "Indian  horseman— encampment  on  snake  river 

— BANNECK  INDIANS— THE  HORSE  CHIEF— HIS  CHARMED  LIFE. 

The  continued  absence  of  Matthiauand  his  party  had,  by  this 
time,  caused  great  uneasiness  in  the  mind  of  Captain  Bonne- 
ville; and,  finding  there  was  no  dependence  to  be  placed  upon 
the  perseverance  and  courage  of  scouting  parties  in  so  perilous 
a  quest,  he  determined  to  set  out  himself  on  the  search,  and  to 
keep  on  until  he  should  ascertain  something  of  the  object  of 
his  soUcitude. 

Accordingly  on  the  26th  December  he  left  the  camp,  ac- 
coir-'^-'ed  by  thirteen  stark  trappers  and  hunters,  all  Avell 
mou  and  armed  for  dangerous  enterprise.  On  the  follow- 
ing morning  they  passed  out  at  the  head  of  the  mountain  gorge 
and  sallied  forth  into  the  open  plain.  As  they  confidently  ex- 
pected a  brush  with  the  Blackfeet,  or  some  other  predatory 
horde,  they  moved  with  great  circumspection,  and  kept  vigi- 
lant watch  in  their  encampments. 

In  the  course  of  another  day  they  left  the  main  branch  of 
Salmon  River,  and  proceeded  south  toward  a  pass  called  John 
Day's  defile.  It  was  severe  and  arduous  travelling.  The 
plains  were  swept  by  keen  and  bitter  blasts  of  wintry  wind ; 
the  ground  was  generally  covered  with  snow,  game  was  scarce, 
so  that  hunger  generally  prevailed  in  the  camp,  while  the  want 
of  pasturage  soon  began  to  manifest  itself  in  the  declining  vigor 
of  the  horses. 

The  party  had  scarcely  encamped  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
28th,  when  two  of  the  hunters  who  had  sallied  forth  in  quest 
of  game  came  galloping  back  in  great  alarm.  Whib  hunting 
they  had  perceived  a  party  of  savages,  evidently  manoeuvring 
to  cut  them  off  from  the  camp ;  and  nothing  had  saved  them 
from  being  entrapped  but  the  speed  of  their  horses. 

These  tidings  struck  dismay  into  the  camp.    Captain  Bonne- 


l    :  «i. 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


101 


ville  endeavored  to  reassure  his  men  by  representing  the  posi- 
tion of  tlioir  encampment,  and  its  capabihty  of  defence.  He 
then  ordered  the  horses  to  be  driven  in  and  picketed,  and 
threw  up  a  rough  breastwork  of  fallen  trunks  of  trees  and  the 
vegetable  rubbish  of  the  wilderness.  Within  this  barrier  was 
maintained  a  vigilant  watch  throughout  the  night,  which 
p^issed  away  without  alarm.  At  early  dawn  they  scrutinized 
the  surrounding  plain,  to  discover  whether  any  enemies  had 
been  lurking  about  during  the  night ;  not  a  foot-print,  however, 
was  to  be  discovered  in  the  coarse  gravel  with  which  the  plain 
was  covered. 

Hunger  now  began  to  cause  more  uneasiness  than  the  appre- 
hensions of  surrounding  enemies.  After  marching  a  few  miles 
they  encamped  at  the  foot  of  a  mountain,  in  hopes  of  finding 
buffalo.  It  was  not  until  the  next  day  that  they  discovered  a 
pair  of  fine  bulls  on  the  edge  of  the  plain,  among  rocks  and  ra- 
vines. Having  now  been  two  days  and  a  half  without  a  mouth- 
ful of  food,  they  took  especial  care  that  these  animals  should 
not  escape  them.  While  some  of  the  surest  marksmen  ad- 
vanced cautiously  with  their  rifles  into  the  rough  ground,  four 
of  the  best  mounted  horsemen  took  their  stations  in  the  plain, 
to  iim  the  bulls  down  should  they  only  be  maimed. 

The  buffalo  were  wounded  and  set  off  in  headlong  flight. 
The  half -famished  horses  were  too  weak  to  overtake  them  on 
the  frozen  ground,  but  succeeded  in  driving  them  on  the  ice, , 
where  they  slipped  and  fell,  and  were  easily  dispatched.  The 
hunters  loaded  themselves  with  beef  for  present  and  future 
supply,  and  then  returned  and  encamped  at  the  last  night's 
fire.  Here  they  passed  the  remainder  of  the  day,  cooking  and 
eating  with  a  voracity  proportioned  to  previous  starvation, 
forgetting  in  the  hearty  revel  of  the  moment  the  certain  dan- 
gers with  which  they  were  environed. 

The  cravings  of  hunger  being  satisfied,  they  now  began  to 
debate  about  their  further  progress.  The  men  were  much  dis- 
heartened by  the  hardships  they  had  already  endured.  Indeed, 
two  who  had  been  in  the  rear  guard,  taking  advantage  of  their 
position,  had  deserted  and  returned  to  the  lodges  of  the  Nez 
Porces.  The  prospect  ahead  was  enough  to  stagger  the  stout- 
est heart.  They  were  in  the  dead  of  winter.  As  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach  the  wild  landscape  was  wrapped  in  snow,  which 
was  evidently  deepening  as  they  advanced.  Over  this  they 
would  have  to  toil,  with  the  icy  w^ind  blowing  in  their  faces; 
tlieir  horses  might  give  out  through  want  of  pasturage,  and 


'^f:'-^ 


I'-;   1)1 

.i,|v: 


M 


If;'   . 


\ 


::! 


:i:t 


\\ 


'  H  if  1 


'.J':.- 


■a      -J 


102 


ADYENTUUES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


% 

1 

'J, 

11 

.< 

II  • 


I;    « 
4'  1 


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f 

m: 

it-l^ 

they  themselves  must  expect  intervals  of  horrible  famine  like 
that  they  had  already  experienced. 

With  Captain  Bonneville,  iiowever,  perseverance  was  a  mat- 
ter of  pride ;  and,  having  undertaken  this  enterprise,  nothing 
could  turn  him  back  until  it  was  accomphshed :  though  he  de- 
clares that,  had  he  anticipated  the  difficulties  and  sufferings 
which  attended  it,  he  should  have  flinched  from  the  undertak- 
ing. 

Onward,  therefore,  the  Uttle  band  urged  their  way,  keeping 
along  the  coin-se  of  a  stream  called  John  Day's  Creek.  The 
cold  was  so  intense  that  they  had  frequently  to  dismount  and 
travel  on  foot,  lest  they  should  freeze  in  their  saddles.  The 
days  which  at  this  season  are  short  enough  even  in  the  open 
prairies,  were  narrowed  to  a  few  hours  by  the  high  mountains, 
which  allowed  the  travellers  but  a  brief  enjoyment  of  the 
cheering  rays  of  the  sun,  Tlie  snow  was  generally  at  least 
twenty  inches  in  depth,  and  in  many  places  much  more:  those 
who  dismounted  had  to  beat  their  way  with  toilsome  steps. 
Eight  miles  were  considered  a  good  day's  journey.  The  horses 
were  almost  famished;  for  the  herbage  was  covered  by  the 
deep  snow,  so  that  they  had  nothing  to  subsist  upon  but  scanty 
wisps  of  the  dry  bunch  grass  which  peered  above  the  surface, 
and  the  small  branches  and  twigs  of  frozen  willows  and  worm- 
wood. 

In  this  way  they  urged  their  slow  and  painful  course  to  the 
south  down  John  Day's  Creek,  until  it  lost  itself  in  a  swamp. 
Here  they  encamped  upon  the  ice  among  stiffened  willows, 
where  they  were  obliged  to  beat  down  and  clear  away  the 
snow  to  procure  pasturage  for-their  horses. 

Hence,  they  toiled  on  to  Godin  River ;  so  called  after  an  Iro- 
quois hunter  in  the  service  of  Sublette,  who  was  murdered 
there  by  the  Blackfeet.  Many  of  the  features  of  this  remote 
wilderness  are  thus  named  after  scenes  of  violence  and  blood- 
shed that  occurred  to  the  early  pioneers.  It  was  an  act  of 
filial  vengeance  on  the  part  of  Godin's  son  Antoine  that,  as  the 
reader  may  recollect,  brought  on  the  recent  battle  at  Pierre's 
Hole. 

From  Godin's  River,  Captain  Bonneville  and  his  followers 
came  out  upon  the  plain  of  the  Three  Bates,  so  called  from 
throe  singular  and  isolated  hills  that  rise  from  the  midst.  It 
is  a  part  of  the  great  desert  of  Snake  River,  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable tracts  beyond  the  mountains.  Could  they  have  ex- 
perienced a  respite  from  their  sufferings  and  anxieties,  the 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNE VILLK. 


103 


.  J  li 


immense  landscape  spread  out  before  them  was  calculated  to 
inspire  aiImii*ation.  Winter  has  its  beauties  and  glories  as 
well  as  summer ;  and  Captain  Bonneville  had  the  soul  to  ap- 
preciate them. 

Far  away,  says  he,  over  the  vast  plains,  and  up  the  steep 
sides  of  the  lofty  mountains,  the  snow  lay  spread  in  dazzhng 
whiteness:  and  whenever  the  sun  emerged  in  the  morning 
above  the  giant  peaks,  or  burst  forth  from  among  clouds  in  his 
mid-day  course,  mountain  and  dell,  glazed  rock  and  frosted 
tree,  glowed  and  sparkled  Avith  surpassing  lustre.  The  tall 
pines  seemed  sprinkled  with  a  silver  dust,  and  the  willows, 
studded  with  minute  icicles  reflecting  the  prismatic  rays, 
brought  to  mind  the  fairy  trees  conjured  up  by  the  caliph's 
story-teller  to  adorn  his  vale  of  diamonds. 

The  poor  wanderers,  however,  neaiiy  starved  with  hunger 
and  cold,  were  in  no  mood  to  enjoy  the  glories  of  these  brilliant 
scenes ;  though  they  stamped  pictures  on  their  memory  which 
have  been  recalled  with  delight  in  more  genial  situations. 

Encamping  at  the  west  Bute,  they  found  a  place  swept  by 
the  winds,  so  that  it  was  bare  of  snow,  and  there  was  abun- 
dance of  bunch  grass.  Here  the  horses  were  turned  loose  to 
graze  throughout  the  night.  Though  for  once  they  had  ample 
pasturage,  yet  the  keen  winds  were  so  intense  that,  in  the 
morning,  a  mule  was  found  frozen  to  death.  The  trappers  gath- 
ered round  and  mourned  over  him  as  over  a  cherished  friend. 
Tliey  feared  their  half-famished  horses  would  soon  share 
his  fate,  for  there  seemed  scarce  blood  enough  left  in  their 
veins  to  withstand  the  freezing  cold.  To  beat  the  way  further 
through  the  snow  with  these  enfeebled  animals  seemed  next  to 
impossible;  and  despondency  began  to  creep  over  their- hearts, 
when,  fortunately,  they  discovered  a  trail  made  by  some  hunt- 
ing party.  Into  this  they  immediately  entered,  and  proceeded 
with  less  difficulty.  Shortly  afterward,  a  fine  buffalo  bull 
en  me  bounding  across  the  snow  and  was  instantly  brought 
down  by  the  hunters.  A  fire  was  soon  blazing  and  crackling, 
and  an  ample  repast  soon  cooked,  and  sooner  dispatched ;  after 
which  they  made  some  further  progress  and  then  encamped. 
One  of  the  men  reached  the  camp  nearly  frozen  to  death ;  but 
good  ckeer  and  a  blazing  fire  gradually  restored  hfe,  and  put 
his  blood  in  circulation. 

Having  now  a  beaten  path,  they  proceeded  the  next  morning 
with  more  facility;  indeed,  the  snow  decreased  in  depth  as 
they  receded  from  the  mountains,  and  the  temperature  became 


!  '! 


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Hi 


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104 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


more  mild.  In  the  course  of  the  day  they  discovered  a  soh- 
tary  horsenni  hovering  at  a  distance  before  them  on  the 
plain.  They  spurred  on  to  overtake  him;  but  he  was  better 
mounted  on  a  fresher  steed,  and  kept  at  a  wary  distance,  re- 
connoitring them  with  evident  distrust ;  for  the  wild  dress  of 
the  free  trappers,  their  leggins,  blankets,  and  cloth  caps  gar- 
nished with  fur  and  topped  off  with  feathers,  even  their  very 
elf-locks  and  weather-bronzed  complexions,  gave  them  the 
look  of  Indians  rather  than  white  men,  and  made  him  mistake 
them  for  a  war  party  of  some  hostile  tribe. 

After  much  manoeuvring,  the  wild  horseman  was  at  length 
brought  to  a  parley ;  but  even  then  he  conducted  himself  with 
the  caution  of  a  knowing  prowler  of  the  prairies.  Dismount- 
ing from  his  horse,  and  using  him  as  a  breastwork,  he  levelled 
his  gim  across  his  back,  and,  thus  prepared  for  defence  like  a 
wary  cruiser  upon  the  high  seas,  he  permitted  himself  to  be 
approached  within  speaking  distance. 

He  proved  to  be  an  Indian  of  the  Banneck  tribe,  belonging 
to  a  band  at  no  gi-eat  distance.  It  was  some  time  before  he 
could  be  persuaded  that  he  was  conversing  with  a  party  of 
wliite  men,  and  induced  to  lay  aside  his  reserve  and  join  them. 
He  then  gave  them  the  interesting  intelligence  that  there  were 
two  companies  of  white  men  encamped  in  the  neighborhood. 
This  was  cheering  news  to  Captain  Bonneville ;  who  hoped  to 
find  in  one  of  them  the  long-sought  party  of  Matthieu.  Push- 
ing forward,  therefore,  with  renovated  spirits,  he  reached 
Snake  River  by  nightfall,  and  there  fixed  his  encampment. 

Early  the  next  morning  (13th  January,  1833),  diligent  search 
was  made  about  the  neighborhood  for  traces  of  the  reported 
parties  -of  white  men.  An  encampment  was  poon  discovered 
about  four  miles  further  up  the  river,  in  which  Captain  Bonne- 
ville to  his  great  joy  found  two  of  Matthieu's  men,  from  whom 
he  learned  that  the  rest  of  his  party  would  be  there  in  the 
course  of  a  few  days.  It  was  a  matter  of  great  pride  and  sclf- 
gratulation  to  Captain  Bonneville  that  he  had  thus  accom- 
|)Iished  his  dreary  and  doubtful  enterprise;  and  he  determined 
to  pass  some  time  in  this  encampment,  both  to  await  the  return 
of  ]\lntthieu,  and  to  give  needful  repose  to  men  and  horses. 

It  was,  in  fact,  one  of  the  most  eligible  and  delightful  winter- 
ing grounds  in  that  whole  range  of  country.  The  Snake  l?iver 
here  wound  its  devious  way  between  low  banks  through  the 
great  plain  of  tlie  Three  Butes;  and  was  bordered  by  wide  and 
fertile  meadows.    It  was  studded  with  islands  which,  like  t '  o 


It.  «•  -■- ^- 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


105 


alluTial  bottoms,  were  covered  with  groves  of  cotton-wood, 
thickets  of  willow,  tracts  of  good  lowland  grass,  and  abundance 
of  green  rushes.  The  adjacent  plains  were  so  vast  in  extent 
that  no  single  band  of  Indians  could  drive  the  buffalo  out  of 
them ;  nor  was  the  snow  of  sufficient  depth  to  give  any  serious 
inconvenience.  Indeel,  during  tlie  sojourn  of  Captain  Bonne- 
ville in  this  neighborhood,  which  was  in  the  heart  of  winter, 
lie  found  the  weather,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  cold  and 
stormy  days,  generally  mild  and  pleasant,  treezing  a  little  at 
night  but  invariably  thawing  with  the  morning's  sun — resem- 
bling the  spring  weather  in  the  middle  parts  of  the  United 
States. 

The  lofty  range  of  the  Three  Tetons,  those  great  landmarks 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains  rising  in  the  east  and  circhng  away  to 
the  north  and  west  of  the  great  plain  of  Snake  River,  and  the 
mountains  of  Salt  River  and  Portneuf  toward  the  south,  catch 
the  earliest  falls  of  snow.  Their  white  robes  lengtlien  as  the 
winter  advances,  and  spread  themselves  far  into  the  plain, 
driving  the  buffalo  in  herds  to  the  banks  of  the  river  in  quest 
of  food;  where  they  are  easily  slain  in  great  numbers. 

Such  were  the  palpable  advantages  of  this  winter  encamp- 
ment ;  added  to  which,  it  was  secure  from  the  prowlings  and 
plunderings  of  any  petty  band  of  roving  Blackfeet,  the  diffi- 
culties of  retreat  rendering  it  unwise  for  those  crafty  depre- 
dators to  venture  an  attack  unless  with  an  overpowering 
force. 

About  ten  miles  below  the  encampment  lay  the  Banneck 
Indians;  numbering  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  lodges. 
They  are  brave  and  cunning  warriors  and  deadly  foes  of  the 
Blackfeet,  whom  they  easily  overcome  in  battles  where  their 
ft)rces  are  equal.  They  are  not  vengeful  and  enterprising  in 
warfare,  however;  seldom  sending  Avar  parties  to  attack  the 
lUackfeet  towns,  but  contenting  themselves  with  defending 
1  'i(>ir  »)wn  territories  and  house.  About  one  thiiKl  of  their  war- 
riors are  armed  with  fusees,  the  rest  with  bows  and  arrows. 

As  soon  as  the  spi'ing  opens  they  move  down  the  right  bank 
cf  Snake  River  and  encamp  at  the  heads  of  the  Boisee  and 
Payette.  Here  their  horses  wax  fat  on  good  pasturage,  while 
the  tribe  revels  in  plenty  upon  the  flesh  of  doer,  elk,  bear,  and 
1  leaver.  They  then  descend  a  little  furthef,  and  are  mot  by  the 
Lower  Nez  Percys,  with  whom  they  trade  for  hoi'sos ;  giving  in 
exchange  beaver,  btiffalo,  and  buffalo  robes.  Hence  they  strike 
upon  the  tributary  atroaniG  on  the  left  bank  of  Snake  River^ 


i 


( 


I 


'P  A 


106 


ADVENTURES  OP  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


■!     '^ 

l|l. 

i 

i  I 

|ii^ik:i"t--';A..., 

and  encamp  at  the  rise  of  the  Portneuf  and  Blackfoot  streams, 
in  the  buffalo  range.  Their  horses,  although  of  the  Nez  Perce 
breed,  are  inferior  to  the  parent  stock  from  being  ridden  at  too 
early  an  age,  being  often  bought  when  but  two  years  old  and 
immediately  put  to  hard  work.  They  have  fewer  horses,  also, 
than  most  of  these  migratory  tribes. 

At  the  time  that  Captain  Bonneville  came  into  the  neigh- 
borhood of  these  Indians,  they  were  all  in  mourning  for  their 
chief,  sumamed  The  Horse.  This  chief  was  said  to  possess  a 
charmed  hfe,  or  rather,  to  be  invulnerable  to  lead;  no  bullet 
having  ever  hit  him,  though  he  had  been  in  repeated  battles, 
and  often  shot  at  by  the  surest  marksmen.  He  had  shown 
great  magnanimity  in  his  intercourse  with  the  white  men. 
One  of  the  great  men  of  his  family  had  been  slain  in  an  attack 
upon  a  band  of  trappers  passing  through  the  territories  of  his 
tribe.  Vengeance  had  been  sworn  by  the  Bannecks ;  but  The 
Horse  interfered,  declaring  hiraseK  the  friend  of  white  men 
and,  having  great  influence  and  authority  among  his  people,  he 
compelled  them  to  forego  all  vindictive  plans  and  to  conduct 
themselves  amicably  whenever  they  came  in  contact  ^v^ith  the 
traders. 

This  chief  had  bravely  fallen  in  resisting  an  attack  made  by 
the  Blackfeet  upon  his  tribe,  while  encamped  at  the  head  of 
Godin  River.  His  fall  in  nowise  lessened  the  faith  of  his  people 
in  his  charmed  life ;  for  they  declared  that  it  was  not  a  bullet 
which  laid  him  low,  but  a  bit  of  horn  which  had  been  shot  into 
him  by  some  Blackfoot  marksman  aware,  no  doubt,  of  the  in- 
efficacy  of  lead.  Since  his  death  there  was  no  one  with  suffi- 
ciert  influence  over  the  tribe  to  restrain  the  wild  and  predatory 
propensities  of  the  young  men.  The  consequence  was  they  had 
become  troublesome  and  dangerous  neighbors,  openly  friendly 
for  the  sake  of  traffic,  but  disposed  to  commit  secret  depreda- 
tions and  to  molest  any  small  party  that  might  fall  within 
their  reach. 


\ 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE.        107 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

MISADVENTURES  OF  MATTHIEU  AND  fflS  PARTY— RETURN  TO  THE 
CACHES  AT  SALMON  RIVER — BATTLE  BETWEEN  NEZ  PERCES 
AND  BLACKFEET— HEROISM  OF  A  NEZ  PBRCij  WOMAN— EN- 
ROLLED AMONG  THE   BRAVES. 


it 


On  the  3d  of  February  Matthieu,  with  the  residue  of  his  band, 
arrived  in  camp.  He  had  a  disastrous  story  to  relate.  After 
parting  with  Captain  Bonneville  in  Green  River  valley  he  had 
proceeded  to  the  westward,  keeping  to  the  north  of  the  Eutaw 
Mountains,  a  spur  of  the  great  Rocky  chain.  Here  he  experi- 
enced the  most  rugged  travelling  for  his  horses,  and  soon  dis- 
covered that  there  was  but  little  chance  of  meeting  the  Sho- 
shouie  bands.  He  now  proceeded  along  Bear  River,  a  stream 
much  frequented  by  trappers,  intending  to  shape  his  course  to 
Salmon  River  to  rejoin  Captain  Bonneville. 

He  was  misled,  however,  either  through  the  ignorance  or 
treachery  of  an  Indian  guide,  and  conducted  into  a  wild  valley 
where  he  lay  encamped  during  the  autumn  and  the  early  paii; 
of  the  winter,  nearly  buried  in  snow  and  almost  starved. 
Early  in  the  season  he  detached  five  men,  with  nine  horses,  to 
proceed  to  the  neighborhood  of  the  Sheep  Rock,  on  Bear 
River,  where  game  was  plenty,  and  there  to  procure  a  supply 
for  the  camp.  They  had  not  proceeded  far  on  their  exi3edition 
when  their  trail  was  discovered  by  a  party  of  nine  or  ten  In- 
dians, who  immediately  commenced  a  lurking  pursuit,  dogging 
them  secretly  for  five  or  six  days.  So  long  as  their  encamp- 
ments were  well  chosen  and  a  proper  watch  maintained  the 
wary  savages  kept  aloof ;  at  length,  observing  that  they  were 
badly  encam;  ed,  in  a  situation  where  they  might  be  approac:  .ed 
with  secrecy,  the  enemy  crept  stealthily  along  under  cover  of 
the  river  bank,  preparing  to  burst  suddenly  upon  their  prey. 

They  had  not  advanced  within  striking  distance,  however, 
before  they  were  discovered  by  one  of  the  trappers.  He  im- 
mediately but  silently  gave  the  alarm  to  his  companions. 
They  all  sprang  upon  their  horses  and  prepared  to  retreat  to  a 
safe  position.  One  of  the  party,  however,  named  Jennings, 
doubted  the  correctness  of  the  alarm,  and  before  he  mounted 
his  horse  wanted  to  ascertain  the  ft\ct.    His  companions  urged 


,1 


;i  :: 


w 


108 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


<  ! 


Hi 


iu 


him  to  mount,  but  in  vain ;  he  was  incredulous  and  obstinate. 
A  volley  of  firearms  by  the  savages  dispelled  his  doubts,  but 
so  overpowered  his  nerves  that  he  was  unable  to  get  into  his 
saddle.  His  comrades,  seeing  his  peril  and  confusion,  gener- 
ously leaped  from  their  horses  to  protect  him.  A  shot  from  a 
rifle  brought  hun  to  the  earth ;  in  his  agony  he  called  upon  the 
others  not  to  desert  him.  Two  of  them,  Le  Eoy  and  Ross, 
after  fighting  desperately,  were  captured  by  the  savages ;  the 
remaining  two  vaulted  into  their  saddles  and  saved  themselves 
by  headlong  flight,  being  pursued  for  nearly  thirty  miles. 
They  got  safe  back  to  Matthiou's  camp,  where  their  story  in- 
spired such  dread  of  lurking  Indians  that  the  huntere  could 
not  be  prevailed  upon  to  undertake  another  foray  in  quest  of 
provisions.  They  remained,  therefore,  almost  starving  in 
their  camp;  now  and  then  killing  an  old  or  disabled  horee  for 
food,  while  the  elk  and  the  mountain  sheep  roamed  unmo- 
lested among  the  surrounding  mountains. 

The  disastrous  surprisal  of  this  hunting  party  is  cited  by 
Captain  Bonneville  to  show  the  importance  of  vigilant  watch- 
ing and  judicious  encampments  in  the  Indian  country.  Most 
of  this  kind  of  disasters  to  traders  and  trappers  arise  from 
some  careless  inattention  to  the  state  of  their  arms  and  ammu- 
nition, the  placing  of  their  horses  at  night,  the  position  of  their 
camping  groimd,  and  the  posting  of  their  night  watches.  The 
Indian  is  a  vigilant  and  crafty  foe,  by  no  means  given  to  hair- 
brained  assaults ;  he  seldom  attacks  when  he  finds  his  foe  well 
prepared  and  on  the  alert.  Caution  is  at  least  as  efficacious  a 
protection  against  him  as  courage. 

The  Indians  who  made  this  attack  were  at  first  supposed  to 
be  Blackfeet;  until  Captain  Bonneville  found  subsequently,  in 
the  camp  of  the  Bannecks,  a  horse,  saddle,  and  bridle,  which 
he  recognized  as  having  belonged  to  one  of  the  hunters.  The 
Bannecks,  however,  stoutly  denied  having  taken  these  spoils 
in  fight,  and  persisted  in  affirming  that  the  outrage  had  been 
perpetrated  by  a  Blackfoot  band. 

Captain  Bonneville  remained  on  Snake  River  nearly  thi»eo 
weeks  after  the  arrival  of  Matthieu  and  his  party.  At  lengtli 
Ills  horses  having  recovered  strength  sufficient  for  a  journey, 
he  prepared  to  return  to  the  Nez  Pc;rces,  or  rather  to  visit  his 
caches  on  Salmon  River;  that  he  might  take  thence  goods  and 
0(|uipnients  for  the  ojiening  season.  Accordingly,  leaving  six- 
te<Mi  men  at  Snake  River,  he  set  out  on  the  19th  of  February 
with  sixteen  others  on  his  journey  to  the  caches. 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


109 


Fording  the  river,  he  proceeded  to  the  borders  of  the  deep 
snow,  when  he  encamped  under  the  lee  of  immense  piles  of 
burned  rock.  On  the  21et  he  was  again  floundering  through 
the  snow,  on  the  great  Snake  River  plain,  where  it  lay  to  the 
depth  of  thirty  inches.  It  was  sufficiently  incrusted  to  bear  a 
pedestrian,  but  the  poor  horses  broke  through  tlie  crust,  and 
plunged  and  strained  at  every  step.  So  lacerated  were  they 
by  the  ice  that  it  was  necessary  to  change  the  front  every 
hundred  yards,  and  put  a  different  one  in  advance  to  break 
tbc  way.  The  open  prairies  were  SAvept  by  a  piercing  and 
biting  wind  from  the  northwest.  At  night,  they  had  to  task 
their  ingenuity  to  provide  shelter  and  keep  frorri  freezing.  In 
the  first  place,  they  dug  deep  holes  in  the  snow,  piling  it  up  in 
ramparts  to  windward  as  a  protection  against  the  blast.  Be- 
neath these  they  spread  buffalo  skins,  upon  which  th(iy 
stretched  themselves  in  full  dress,  with  caps,  cloaks,  and  moc- 
casins, and  covered  themselves  with  numerous  blnwikots;  not- 
withstanding all  which  they  were  often  severely  pinched  with 
the  cold. 

On  the  28th  of  February  they  arrived  on  the  banks  of  Godin 
River.  This  stream  emerges  from  the  mountains  opposite  an 
eastern  branch  of  the  Malade  River,  running  southeast,  forms 
a  deep  and  swift  current  about  twenty  yards  wide,  passing 
rapidly  through  a  defile  to  which  it  gives  its  name,  and  then 
enters  the  great  plain  where,  after  meandering  about  forty 
miles,  it  is  finally  lost  in  the  region  of  the  Burned  Rocks. 

On  the  banks  of  this  river  Captain  Bonneville  was  so  fortu- 
nate as  to  come  upon  a  buffalo  trail.  Following  it  up,  ho  en- 
tered the  defile,  where  he  remained  encamped  for  two  days  to 
allow  the  hunters  time  to  kill  and  dry  a  supply  of  buffalo  beef. 
In  this  sheltered  defile  the  weather  was  moderate  and  grass 
was  already  sprouting  more  than  an  inch  in  height.  There 
was  abundance,  too,  of  the  salt  weed  which  grows  most  plen- 
tiful in  clayey  and  gravelly  barrens.  It  resembles  pennyroyal, 
and  derives  its  name  from  a  partial  saltness.  It  is  a  nourisVi- 
inp  food  for  the  horses  in  the  winter,  but  they  reject  it  tho 
moment  the  young  grass  affords  sufficient  pasturage. 

On  the  6th  of  March,  having  cured  sufflcuent  meat,  the  party 
resumed  their  march,  and  moved  on  with  comjiarative  ease; 
ex('('i)ting  where  they  had  to  make  their  way  through  snow- 
drifts which  had  been  piled  up  by  the  wind. 

On  the  11th,  a  small  cloud  of  smoke  was  observed  rising  in  a 
deep  part  of  the  defile.    An  encampment  was  instantly  formed 


1 


110 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


ii 


ifiiii! 


lli.'"'iHl 


and  scouts  were  sent  out  to  reconnoitre.  They  returned  with 
inteUigence  that  it  was  a  hunting  party  of  Flatheads,  return- 
ing from  the  buffalo  range  laden  with  meat.  Captain  Bonne- 
ville joined  them  the  next  day,  and  persuaded  them  to  pro- 
ceed with  his  party  a  few  miles  below  to  the  caches,  whither 
he  proposed  also  to  invite  the  Nez  Pcrces,  whom  he  hoped  to 
find  somewhere  in  this  neighborhood.  In  fact,  on  the  13th,  he 
was  rejoined  by  that  friendly  tribe  who,  since  he  separated 
from  them  on  Salmon  River,  had  likewise  been  out  to  hunt 
the  buffalo,  but  had  continued  to  be  haunted  and  harassed  by 
their  old  enemi  .s  the  Blackfoet,  who,  as  usual,  had  contrived 
to  carry  off  many  of  their  horses. 

In  the  course  of  this  hunting  expedition,  a  small  hand  of  ten 
lodges  separated  from  the  main  body  in  search  of  better  pas- 
turage for  their  horses.  About  the  1st  of  March,  tlie  scattered 
parties  of  Blackfoot  banditti  united  to  the  number  of  three 
hundred  fighting  men,  and  determined  upon  some  signal  blow. 
Proceeding  to  the  former  camping  ground  of  the  Nez  Perces, 
they  found  the  lodges  deserted ;  upon  which  they  hid  them- 
selves among  the  Avillows  and  thickets,  v  ;tching  for  some 
straggler  who  might  guide  them  to  the  present  "  whereabout" 
of  their  intended  victims.  As  fortune  would  have  it  Kosato, 
the  Blackfoot  renegade,  w^as  the  first  to  pass  along,  accom- 
panied by  his  blood-bought  bride.  He  was  on  his  way  from 
the  main  body  of  hunters  to  the  little  band  of  ten  lodges.  The 
Blackfeet  knew  and  marked  him  as  he  passed;  he  was  within 
howshot  of  their  ambuscade;  yet,  much  as  they  thirsted  for 
his  blood,  they  forbore  to  launch  a  shaft;  sparing  him  for  the 
moment  that  he  might  lead  them  to  their  prey.  Secretly  fol- 
lowing his  trail,  they  discovered  the  lodges  of  the  unfortunate 
Nez  Percea,  and  assailed  them  with  shouts  and  yellings.  The 
Nez  Perces  numbered  only  twenty  men,  and  but  nine  were 
armed  with  fusees.  They  showed  themselves,  however,  as 
brave  and  skilful  in  war  as  they  had  been  mild  and  long-suf- 
fering in  peace.  Their  first  care  was  to  dig  holes  inside  of 
their  lodges ;  thus  ensconced  they  fought  desperately,  laying 
several  of  the  enemy  dead  upon  the  ground;  while  they, 
though  some  of  them  were  wounded,  lost  not  a  single  warrior. 

During  the  heat  of  the  battle,  a  woman  of  the  Nez  Perces, 
seeing  her  warrior  badly  wounded  and  unable  to  fight,  seized 
his  bow  and  arrows,  and  bravely  and  successfully  defended  his 
person,  contributing  to  the  safety  of  the  whole  party. 

In  another  part  of  the  field  of  action,  a  Nez  Perce  had 


3    .■% 


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ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE.        \\\ 


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crouched  behind  the  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree,  and  kept  up  a  gall- 
ing fire  from  his  covert.  A  Blackfoot  seeing  this,  procured  a 
roiiiul  log,  and  placing  it  before  him  as  he  lay  prostrate,  rolled 
it  f-  )rward  toward  the  trunk  of  the  tree  behind  which  his  enemy 
l.iy  ciouehed.  It  was  a  moment  of  breathless  interest;  who- 
(  vtT  fii-st  showed  himself  would  be  in  danger  of  a  shot.  The 
Xcz  Perce  put  an  end  to  the  suspense.  The  moment  the  logs 
t<i  I'lied  he  sprang  upon  his  feet  and  discharged  the  contents 
his  fusee  into  the  back  of  his  antagonist.  By  this  time  the 
j]la'jkfeet  had  got  possession  of  the  hoi«es,  several  of  their  wa^ 
ii( )rs  lay  dead  on  the  field,  and  the  Nez  Perces,  ensconced  in 
their  lodges,  seemed  resolved  to  defend  themselves  to  the  last 
pasp.  It  so  happened  that  the  chief  of  the  Blackfeet  party  was 
a  renegade  from  the  Nez  Perces ;  unlike  Kosato,  however,  he 
had  no  vindictive  rage  against  his  native  tribe,  but  was  rather 
disposed,  now  he  had  got  the  booty,  to  spare  all  unnecessary 
effusion  of  blood.  He  held  a  long  parley,  therefore,  with  the 
besieged,  and  finally  drew  off  his  warriors,  taldng  with  him 
seventy  horses.  It  appeared,  afterward,  that  the  bullets  of  the 
Blackfeet  had  been  entirely  expended  in  the  course  of  the  bat- 
tle, so  that  they  were  obliged  to  make  use  of  stones  as  substi- 
tute. 

At  the  outset  of  the  fight  Kosato,  the  renepside,  fought  with 
fury  rather  than  valor,  animating  the  others  by  word  as  well 
as  deed.  A  wound  in  the  head  from  a  rifle  ball  laid  him  sense- 
less on  the  earth.  There  his  body  remained  when  the  battle 
was  over,  and  the  victors  were  leading  off  the  horses.  His  wife 
hung  over  him  with  frantic  lamentations.  The  conquerors 
paused  and  urged  her  to  leave  the  lifeless  renegade,  and  return 
with  them  to  her  kindred.  She  refused  to  listen  to  their  solici- 
tations, and  they  passed  on.  As  she  sat  watching  the  features 
of  Kosato,  and  giving  way  to  passionate  grief,  she  thought  she 
perceived  him  to  breathe.  She  was  not  mistaken.  The  ball, 
which  had  been  nearly  spent  before  it  struck  him,  had  stunned 
instead  of  killing  him.  By  the  ministry  of  his  faithful  wife  he 
gradually  recovered,  reviving  to  a  redoubled  love  for  her,  and 
hatred  of  his  tribe. 

As  to  the  female  who  had  so  bravely  defended  her  husband, 
she  was  elevated  by  the  tribe  to  a  rank  far  above  her  sex,  and 
beside  other  honorable  distinctions,  was  thenceforward  per- 
mitted to  take  a  part  in  the  war  dances  of  the  braves  I 


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112 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

OPENING  OP  THE  CACHES— DETACHMENTS  OP  CERRE  AND  HODG- 
KISS— SAOION  RIVER  MOUNTAINS— SUPERSTITION  OP  AN  INDIAN 
TRAPPER — GODIN'S  RIVER— PREPARATIONS  FOR  TRAPPING — AN 
ALARM— AN  INTERRUPTION— A  RIVAL  BAND— PHENOMENA  OP 
SNAKE  RIVER  PLAIN— VAST  CLEFTS  AND  CHASMS— INGULFED 
STREAIVIS— SUBLIME  SCENERY— A  GRAND    BUFFALO  HUNT. 


\ 


a 


1 

1 

1 

Captain  Bonneville  found  his  caches  perfectly  secure,  and 
having  escretly  opened  them  he  selected  such  articles  as  were 
necessary  to  equip  the  free  trappers  and  to  supply  the  incon- 
siderable trade  with  the  Indians,  after  which  he  closed  them 
again.  The  free  trappers,  being  newly  rigged  out  and  supplied, 
were  in  high  spirits,  and  swaggered  gayly  about  the  camp.  To 
compensate  all  hands  for  past  sufferings,  and  to  give  a  cheer- 
ful spur  to  further  operations,  Captain  Bonneville  now  gave 
the  men  what,  in  frontier  phrase,  is  termed  "  a  regular  blow 
out."  Tt  was  a  day  of  uncouth  gambols  and  frolics  and  rude 
feasting.  The  Indians  joined  in  the  sports  and  games,  and  all 
was  mirth  and  good-fellowship. 

It  was  now  the  middle  of  March,  and  Captain  Bonneville 
made  preparations  to  open  the  spring  campaign.  He  had 
pitched  upon  Malade  River  for  his  main  trapping  ground  for 
the  season.  This  is  a  stream  which  rises  among  the  great  bed 
of  mountains  north  of  the  Lava  Plain,  and  after  a  winding 
course  falls  into  Snake  River.  Previous  to  his  departure  the 
captain  dispatched  Mr.  Cerr6,  with  a  few  men,  to  visit  the 
Indian  villages  and  purchase  horses;  he  furnished  his  clerk, 
Mr.  Hodgkiss,  also,  with  a  small  stock  of  goods,  to  keep  up  a 
trade  with  the  Indians  during  the  spring,  for  such  peltries  as 
they  might  collect,  appointing  the  caches  on  Salmon  River  as 
the  point  of  rendezvous,  where  they  were  to  rejoin  him  on  the 
16th  of  June  following. 

This  done  he  set  out  for  Malade  River,  with  a  band  of  twenty- 
eight  men  composed  of  hired  and  free  trappers  and  Indian 
hunters,  together  with  eight  squaws.  Their  route  lay  up  along 
the  right  fork  of  Salmon  River,  as  it  passes  through  the  deep 
defile  of  the  mountains.  They  travelled  very  slowly,  not  above 
five  miles  a  day,  for  many  of  the  horses  were  so  weak  that  they 


^ii 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAiy  BOS  SEVILLE.         nS 

faltered  and  staggered  as  they  walked.  Pasturage,  however, 
was  now  growing  plentiful.  There  was  abundance  of  fresh 
grass,  which  in  some  places  had  attained  such  height  as  to 
wave  in  the  wind.  The  native  flocks  of  the  wilderness,  the 
mountain  sheep,  as  they  are  called  by  the  trappers,  were  con- 
tinually to  be  seen  upon  the  hills  between  which  they  passed, 
and  a  good  supply  of  mutton  was  provided  by  the  hunters,  as 
they  were  advancing  toward  a  region  of  scarcity. 

In  the  course  of  his  journey  Captain  Bonneville  had  occasion 
to  remark  an  instance  of  the  many  notions,  and  almost  super- 
stitions, which  prevail  among  the  Indians,  and  among  some  of 
the  white  men,  with  respect  to  the  sagacity  of  the  beaver. 
The  Indian  hunters  of  his  party  were  in  the  habit  of  exploring 
all  the  streams  along  which  they  passed,  in  search  of  "  beaver 
lodges,"  and  occasionally  set  their  traps  with  some  success. 
One  of  them,  however,  though  an  experienced  and  skilful  trap- 
per, was  invariably  unsuccessful.  Astonished  and  mortified  at 
such  unusual  bad  luck,  he  at  length  conceived  the  idea  that 
there  was  some  odor  about  his  person  of  which  the  beaver  got 
scent  and  retreated  at  his  approach.  He  immediately  set  about 
a  thorough  purification.  Making  a  rude  sweating-house  on  the 
banks  of  the  river,  he  would  shut  himself  up  until  in  a  reeking 
perspiration,  and  then  suddenly  emerging,  would  plunge  into 
the  river.  A  number  of  these  sweatings  and  plungings  having, 
as  he  supposed,  rendered  his  person  perfectly  "inodorous,"  he 
resumed  his  trapping  with  renovated  hope. 

About  the  beginning  of  April  they  encar.ped  upon  Godin's 
River,  where  they  found  the  swamp  full  of  *'  musk-rat  houses." 
Here,  therefore,  Captain  Bonneville  determined  to  remain  a 
few  days  and  make  his  first  regular  attempt  at  trapping.  That 
his  maiden  campaign  might  open  with  spirit,  he  promised  the 
Indians  and  free  trappers  an  extra  price  for  every  musk-rat 
they  should  take.  AU  now  set  to  work  for  the  next  day '»  sport. 
The  utmost  animation  and  gayety  prevailed  throughout  the 
camp.  Everything  looked  auspicious  for  their  spring  campaign. 
The  abundance  of  musk-rats  in  the  swamp  was  but  an  earnest 
of  the  nobler  game  they  were  to  find  when  they  should  reach 
the  Malade  River,  and  have  a  capital  beaver  country  all  to 
themselves,  where  they  might  trap  at  their  leisure  without 
molestation. 

In  the  midst  of  their  gayety  a  hunter  came  galloping  into 
the  camp,  shouting,  or  rather  yelling,  "A  trail!  a  trail!— 
lodge  poles !  lodge  poles  1" 


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114 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


These  were  words  full  of  meaning  to  a  trapper's  ear.  They 
intimated  that  there  was  some  band  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
probably  a  hunting  party,  as  they  had  lodge  polos  for  an  en- 
pampmentt  The  hunter  came  up  and  told  his  story.  Ho  had 
discovered  a  fresh  trail,  in  which  the  traces  made  by  the  drag- 
ging of  lodge  poles  wore  distinctly  visible.  The  buffalo,  too, 
had  just  been  driven  out  of  the  neighborhood,  which  showed 
that  the  hunters  had  already  been  on  tho  range. 

The  gayety  of  the  camp  was  at  an  end;  all  preparations  lor 
musk-rat  trapping  were  suspended,  and  all  hands  sallied  forth 
to  examine  the  trail.  Their  worst  fears  were  soon  confinned. 
Infallible  signs  showed  the  unknown  party  in  the  advance  to  be 
white  men ;  doubtless,  some  rival  band  of  trappers !  Here  was 
competition  when  least  expected;  and  that  too  by  a  party 
already  in  the  advance,  who  were  driving  the  game  before 
them.  Captain  Bonneville  had  now  a  taste  of  the  sudden  tran- 
sitions to  which  a  trapper's  life  is  subject.  The  buoyant  confi- 
dence in  an  uninterrupted  hunt  was  at  an  end ;  every  counte- 
nance lowered  with  gloom  and  disappointment. 

Captain  Bonneville  immediately  dispatched  two  spies  to  over- 
take the  rival  party,  and  endeavor  to  learn  their  plans;  in  the 
meantime,  he  turned  his  back  upon  the  swamp  and  its  musk- 
rat  houses  and  followed  on  at  "  long  camps, "  which  in  trapper's 
language  is  equivalent  to  long  stages.  On  the  Gth  of  April  he 
met  his  spies  returning.  They  had  kept  on  the  trail  like  hounds 
until  they  overtook  the  party  at  the  south  end  oi  Godin's  defile. 
Here  they  found  them  comfortably  encamped:  twenty-two 
prime  trappers,  all  well  appointed,  with  excellent  horses  in 
capital  condition  led  by  Milton  Sublette,  and  an  able  coadjutor 
named  Jarvie,  and  in  full  march  for  the  Malade  bunting  ground. 
This  was  stunning  news.  The  Malade  Eiver  was  the  only  trap- 
ping ground  within  reach ;  but  to  have  to  compete  there  with 
veteran  trappers,  perfectly  at  home  among  the  mountains,  and 
admirably  mounted,  while  they  were  so  poorly  provided  with 
horses  and  trappers,  and  had  but  one  man  in  their  party  ac- 
quainted with  the  country — it  was  out  of  the  question. 

The  only  iiope  that  now  remained  was  that  the  snow,  which 
still  lay  deep  among  the  mountains  of  Godin  River  and  blocked 
up  the  usual  pass  to  the  Malade  country,  might  detain  the  other 
party  until  Captain  Bonneville's  horses  should  get  once  more 
into  good  condition  in  their  present  ample  pasturage. 

The  rival  parties  now  encamped  together,  not  out  of  com- 
panionship, but  to  keep  an  eye  upon  each  other.    Day  after 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAFIWIN  nONNEVILLE.         n.T 

day  passed  by  without  any  possibility  of  getting  to  the  Malade 
country.  Sublette  and  Jarvio  L'^uleavorcd  to  force  their  way 
across  the  mountain ;  but  the  snows  lay  so  deep  as  to  oblige 
them  to  turn  back.  In  the  meantime  the  captain's  horses  were 
daily  gaining  strength,  and  their  hoofs  improving,  which  had 
been  worn  and  battered  by  mountain  sei-vice.  The  captain, 
also,  was  increasing  his  stock  of  provisions ;  so  that  the  delay 
was  all  in  his  favor. 

To  any  one  who  merely  contemplates  a  map  of  the  countiy 
this  diflEiculty  of  getting  from  Godin  to  Malade  River  will  ajv 
pear  inexplicable,  as  the  intervening  mountains  terminate  in 
the  groat  Snake  River  plain,  so  that,  apparently,  it  woidd  be 
perfectly  easy  to  proceed  round  their  bases. 

Here,  however,  occur  some  of  the  strikinj:;  plirnomena  of 
this  wild  and  sublime  region.  The  gjoat  lower  piaiu  which  ex- 
tends to  the  feet  of  these  mountains  is  broken  u]i  near  their 
bases  into  crests,  and  ridges  resembling  the  surges  of  the  ocean 
breaking  on  a  rocky  shore. 

In  a  line  with  the  mountains  the  plain  is  gashed  with  numer- 
ous and  dangerous  chasms,  from  four  to  ten  feet  wide,  and  of 
groat  depth.  Captain  Bonneville  attempted  to  sound  some  of 
these  openingtt,  but  without  ;.iiy  satisfactory  result.  A  stone 
dropped  into  one  of  them  reverberated  against  the  sides  for 
apparently  a  very  great  depth,  and,  by  its  sound,  indicated  the 
same  kind  of  substance  with  the  surface,  as  long  as  the  strokes 
could  be  heard.  The  horse,  instinctively  sagacious  in  avoiding 
danger,  shrinks  back  in  alarm  from  the  least  of  these  chasms, 
pricking  up  his  ears,  snorting  and  pawing,  until  permitted  to 
turn  away. 

We  have  been  told  by  a  person  well  acquainted  with  the 
country  that  it  is  sometimes  necessary  to  travel  fifty  and  sixty 
miles  to  get  round  one  of  these  tremendous  ravines.  Consider- 
able streams,  like  that  of  Godin's  River,  that  run  with  a  bold, 
free  current,  lose  themselves  in  this  plain ;  some  of  them  end 
in  swamps,  others  suddenly  disappear,  finding,  no  doubt,  sub- 
terranean outlets. 

Opposite  to  these  chasms  Snake  River  makes  two  desperate 
leaps  over  precipices,  at  a  short  distance  from  each  other;  one 
twenty,  the  other  torty  feet  in  height. 

The  volcanic  plain  in  (]ue;;tion  ioinis  an  area  of  about  sixty 
miles  in  diameter,  whore  nothing  meets  the  eye  but  n  desolate 
and  awful  waste ;  where  no  grnss  grows  nor  water  runs,  r.nd 
where  nothing  is  to  be  seen  but  lava.    Ranges  of  mountains 


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116 


ADVENTURE'S  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


skirt  this  plain,  and,  in  Captain  Bonneville's  opinion,  were 
formerly  connected,  until  rent  asunder  by  some  convulsion  of 
nature.  Far  to  the  east  the  Three  Tetons  lift  their  heads  sub- 
limely, and  dominate  this  wide  sea  of  lava— one  of  the  most 
striking  features  of  a  wilderness  where  everything  seems  on  a 
scale  of  stem  and  simple  grandeur. 

We  look  forward  with  impatience  for  some  able  geologist  to 
explore  this  sublime  but  ahnost  unknown  region. 

It  was  not  until  the  25th  of  April  that  the  two  parties  of 
trappers  broke  up  their  encampments,  and  undertook  to  cross 
over  the  southwest  end  of  the  mountain  by  a  pass  explored  by 
their  scouts.  From  various  points  of  the  mountain  they  com- 
manded boundless  prospects  of  the  lava  plain,  stretching  away 
in  cold  and  gloomy  barrenness  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach. 
On  the  evening  of  the  2Gth  they  reached  the  plain  west  of  the 
mountain,  watered  by  the  Malade,  the  Boisee,  and  other 
streams,  which  comprised  the  contemplated  trapping-ground. 

The  country  about  the  Boisee  (or  Woody)  River  is  extoUed 
by  Captain  Bonneville  as  the  most  enchanting  he  had  seen  in 
the  Far  West,  presenting  the  mingled  grandeur  and  beauty  of 
mountain  and  plain,  of  bright  running  streams  and  vast  grassy 
meadows  waving  to  the  breeze. 

We  shall  not  follow  the  captain  throughout  his  trapping 
campaign,  which  lasted  until  the  beginning  of  June,  nor  detail 
all  the  manoeuvres  of  the  rival  trapping  parties  and  their  vari- 
ous schemes  to  outwit  and  out-trap  each  other.  Suffice  it  to 
say  that,  after  having  visited  and  camped  about  various 
streams  with  various  success.  Captain  Bonneville  set  forward 
early  in  June  for  the  appointed  rendezvous  at  the  caches.  On 
the  way,  he  treated  his  party  to  a  grand  buffalo  hunt.  The 
scouts  had  reported  numerous  herds  in  a  plain  beyond  an  in- 
tervening height.  There  was  an  immediate  halt;  the  fleetest 
horses  were  forthwith  mounted  and  the  party  advanced  to  tlio 
summit  of  the  hill.  Hence  they  beheld  the  great  plain  below 
absolutely  swarming  with  buffalo.  Captain  Bonneville  now 
appointed  the  place  where  he  would  encamp;  and  toward 
which  the  hunters  were  to  drive  the  game.  He  cautioned  the 
latter  to  advance  slowly,  reserving  the  strength  and  speed  of 
the  horses  until  within  a  moderate  distance  of  the  here's. 
Twenty-two  horsemen  descended  cautiously  into  the  plain, 
conformably  to  these  directions.  "  It  was  a  beautiful  sight," 
says  the  captain,  "to  see  the  runners,  as  they  are  called,  ad- 
vancing ^n  column,  at  a  slow  trot,  until  within  two  hundred 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


117 


and  fifty  yards  of  the  outskirts  of  the  herd,  then  dashing  on  at 
full  speed  until  lost  in  the  immense  multitude  of  buffaloes 
scouring  the  plain  in  every  direction."  All  was  now  tumult 
and  wild  confusion.  In  the  meantime  Captain  Bonneville  and 
the  residue  of  the  party  moved  on  to  the  appointed  camping 
ground ;  thither  the  most  expert  runners  succeeded  in  driving 
numbers  of  buffalo,  which  were  killed  hard  by  the  camp,  and 
the  flesh  transported  thither  without  difficulty.  In  a  little 
while  the  whole  camp  looked  like  one  great  slaughter-house; 
the  carcasses  were  skilfully  cut  up,  great  fires  were  made, 
scaffolds  erected  for  drying  and  jerking  beef,  and  an  ample 
provision  was  made  for  future  subsistence.  On  the  15th  of 
June,  the  precise  day  appointed  for  the  rendezvous,  Captain 
Bonneville  and  his  party  arrived  safely  at  the  caches. 

Here  he  was  joined  by  the  other  detachments  of  his  main 
party,  all  in  good  health  and  spirits.  The  caches  were  again 
opened,  supplies  of  various  kinds  taken  out,  and  a  liberal 
allowance  of  aqua  vitce  distributed  throughout  the  camp,  to 
celebrate  with  proper  conviviality  this  merry  meeting. 


-lU 


;l 


\ 


CHAPTER  XVm. 

.MEETINa  WITH  HODGKISS— MISFORTUNES  OF  THE  NEZ  PERCYS— 
SCHEMES  OF  KOSATO,  THE  RENEGADO— HIS  FORAY  INTO  THE 
HORSE  PRAIRIE — INVASION  OF  BLACKFEET— BLUE  JOHN  AND 
HIS  FORLORN  HOPE— THEIR  GENEROUS  ENTERPRISE— THEIR  FATE 
—CONSTERNATION  AND  DESPAIR  OF  THE  VILLAGE— SOLEMN 
OBSEQUIES— ATTEMPT  AT  INDIAN  TRADE— HUDSON'S  BAY  COM- 
PANY'S MONOPOLY— ARRANGEMENTS  FOR  AUTUMN — BREAKING 
UP  OP  AN  ENCAMPMENT. 


HAvma  now  a  pretty  strong  party,  well  anied  and  equipped, 
Captain  Bonneville  no  longer  felt  the  necessity  of  fortifying 
himself  in  the  secret  places  and  fastnesses  of  the  mountains; 
but  sallied  forth  boldly  into  the  Snake  River  plain,  in  search 
of  his  clerk,  Hodgkiss,  who  had  remained  with  the  Nez  Perces. 
He  found  him  on  the  24th  of  June,  and  learned  from  him  an- 
other chapter  of  misfortunes  which  had  recently  befallen  that 
ill-fated  race. 

After  the  departure  of  Captain  Bonneville  in  March,  Eoeato, 


1 


i. 


',     •»?  M 


118        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


tlie  lenegade  Blackfoot,  had  recovered  from  the  wound  re- 
ceived in  battle ;  and  with  his  strength  revived  all  his  deadly- 
hostility  to  his  native  tribe.  He  now  resumed  his  efforts  to 
stir  up  the  Nez  Perce s  to  reprisals  upon  their  old  enemies;  re- 
minding them  incessantly  of  all  the  outrages  and  robberies 
they  had  recently  experienced,  and  assuring  them  that  such, 
would  continue  to  be  their  lot  imtil  they  proved  themselves 
men  by  some  signal  retaliation. 

The  impassioned  eloquence  of  the  desperado  at  length  pro- 
duced an  effect ;  and  a  band  of  braves  enlisted  under  his  guid- 
ance, to  penetrate  into  the  Blackfoot  country,  harass  thc-r  vil- 
lages, carry  off  their  horses,  and  commit  all  kinds  of  depreda- 
tions. 

Kosato  pushed  forward  on  his  foray  as  far  as  the  Horse 
Prairie,  where  he  came  upon  a  strong  party  of  Blackfeet. 
Without  waiting  to  estimate  their  force,  he  attacked  them 
with  characteristic  fury,  and  was  bravely  seconded  by  his 
followers.  The  contest,  for  a  time,  was  hot  and  bloody;  at 
length,  as  is  customary  with  these  two  tribes,  they  paused,  and 
held  a  long  parley,  or  rather  n,  war  of  words. 

"What  need,"  said  the  Blackfoot  chief ,  tauntingly,  "have 
the  Nez  Peroes  to  leave  their  homes,  and  sally  forth  on  war 
parties,  when  they  have  danger  enough  at  their  own  doors?  If 
you  want  fighting,  return  to  your  villages;  you  will  have 
plenty  of  it  there.  The  Blackfeet  warriors  have  hitherto  made 
war  upon  you  as  children.  They  are  now  coming  as  men.  A 
great  force  is  at  hand ;  they  are  on  their  way  to  your  towns, 
and  are  determined  to  rub  out  the  very  name  of  the  Nez 
Perces  from  the  mountains.  Return,  I  say,  to  your  towns, 
and  fight  there,  if  you  wish  to  live  any  longer  as  a  people." 

Kosato  took  him  at  his  word ;  for  he  knew  the  character  of 
his  native  tribe.  Hastening  back  with  his  band  to  the  Nez 
Perces  village,  he  told  all  that  he  had  seen  and  heard,  and 
urged  the  most  prompt  and  strenuous  measures  for  defence. 
The  Nez  Perces,  however,  heard  him  with  their  accustomed 
phlegm;  the  threat  of  the . Blackfeet  had  been  often  made,  and 
as  often  had  proved  a  mere  bravado;  °nch  they  pronounced  it 
to  be  at  presjnt,  mid,  of  course,  took  no  precautions. 

They  were  soon  convinced  that  it  was  no  empty  menace.  In 
a  few  days  a  band  of  three  hundred  Blackfeet  warriors  ap- 
peared upon  the  hills.  All  now  was  consternation  in  the 
village.  The  force  of  the  Nez  Perces  was  too  small  to  cope  with 
the  enemy  in  open  fight ;  many  of  the  young  men  having  gone 


'l-t 


>■..  •■urnBL*.!.-- 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE, 


119 


to  their  relatives  on  the  Cohimbiato  procure  horses.  The  sages 
met  in  hurried  council.  What  was  to  be  done  to  ward  off  a 
blow  which  threatened  annihilation?  In  this  moment  of  im- 
minent peril,  a  Pierced-nose  chief,  named  Blue  John  by  the 
whites,  offered  to  approach  secretly  with  a  small,  but  chosen 
band,  through  a  defile  which  led  to  the  encampment  of  the 
enemy,  and,  by  a  sudden  onset,  to  drive  off  the  horses.  Should 
this  blow  be  successful,  the  spirit  and  strength  of  the  invadere 
woidd  be  broken,  and  the  Nez  Perces,  having  horses,  would  bo 
more  than  a  match  for  them.  Should  it  fail,  the  village  would 
not  be  Avorse  off  than  at  present,  when  destruction  appeared 
inevitable. 

Iwenty-nine  of  the  choicest  warriors  instantly  volunteered 
to  follow  Blue  John  in  this  hazardous  enterprise.  They  pre- 
pared for  it  with  the  solemnity  and  devotion  peculiar  to  the 
tribe.  Blue  John  consulted  his  medicine,  or  tahsmanic  charm, 
such  as  every  chief  keeps  in  his  lodge  as  a  supernatural  pro- 
tection. The  oracle  assured  him  that  his  enterprise  would  be 
completely  successful,  provided  no  rain  should  fall  before  he 
had  passed  through  the  defile;  but  should  it  rain,  his  band 
would  be  utterly  cut  off. 

The  day  was  clear  and  bright;  and  Blue  John  anticipated 
that  the  skies  would  be  propiticas.  He  departed  in  high 
spirits  with  his  forlorn  hope;  and  never  did  band  of  braves 
make  a  more  gallant  display— horsemen  and  horses  being  dec- 
orated and  equipped  in  cue  fiercest  and  most  glaring  style- 
s-littering with  anns  and  ornaments,  and  fluttering  with 
feathers. 

The  weather  continued  serene  until  they  reached  the  defile; 
but  just  as  they  were  entering  it  a  black  cloud  rose  over  the 
mountain  crest,  and  there  was  a  sudden  shower.  The  warrioi*s 
turned  to  their  leader,  as  if  to  read  his  opinion  of  this  unlucky 
omen ;  but  the  countenance  of  Blue  John  remained  unchanged, 
and  they  continued  to  press  forward.  It  was  their  hope  to 
make  their  way  undiscovered  to  the  very  vicinHy  of  the  Black- 
foot  camp ;  but  they  had  not  proceeded  far  in  the  defile,  when 
they  met  a  scouting  party  of  the  enemy.  They  attacked  and 
drove  them  among  the  hills,  and  were  pursuing  them  with 
great  eagerness  when  they  heard  shouts  and  yells  behind  them, 
and  beheld  the  main  body  of  the  Blackfet^t  advancing. 

The  second  chief  wavered  a  little  at  the  sight  and  proposed 
an  instant  retreat.  "We  came  to  fight!"  replied  Blue  John, 
sternly.     Then  giving  his  war-whoop,  he  sprang  forward  to 


T 

* 

J 

i 

\ 

120        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 

the  conflict.  His  braves  followed  him.  They  made  a  head- 
long charge  upon  the  enemy;  not  mth  the  hope  of  victory, 
but  the  determination  to  sell  their  lives  dearly.  A  frightful 
carnage,  rather  than  a  regular  battle,  succeeded.  The  forlorn 
band  laid  heaps  of  their  enemies  dead  at  their  feet,  but  were 
over  vhelmed  with  numbers  and  pressed  into  a  gorge  of  the 
mountain ;  where  they  continued  to  fight  until  they  were  cut 
to  pieces.  One  only,  of  the  thirty,  survived.  He  sprang  on 
the  horse  of  a  Blackfoot  warrior  whom  he  had  slain,  and  escap- 
ing at  full  speed,  brought  home  the  baleful  tidings  to  his 
village. 

Who  can  paint  the  horror  and  desolation  of  the  inliabitantsf 
The  flower  of  their  warriors  laid  low,  and  a  ferocious  enemy  at 
their  doors.  The  air  was  rent  by  the  shrieks  and  lamentations 
of  the  women,  who,  casting  off  their  ornaments  and  tearing 
their  hair,  wandered  about,  frantically  bewailing  the  dead 
and  predicting  destruction  to  the  living.  The  remaining  war- 
riors armed  themselves  for  obstinate  defence ;  but  showed  by 
their  gloomy  looks  and  sullen  silence  that  they  considered  de- 
fence hopeless.  To  their  surprise  the  Blackfeet  refrained  from 
pursuing  their  advantage;  perhaps  satisfied  with  the  blood 
already  shed,  or  disheartened  by  the  loss  they  had  themselves 
sustained.  At  any  rate,  they  disappeared  from  the  hills,  and 
it  was  soon  ascertained  that  they  had  returned  to  the  Horse 
Prairie. 

The  unfortunate  Nez  Perces  now  began  once  more  to  breathe. 
A  few  of  their  warriors,  taking  pack-horses,  repaired  to  the 
defile  to  bring  away  the  bodies  of  their  slaughtered  brethren. 
They  found  them  mere  headless  ti^uiiks ;  and  the  wounds  with 
which  they  were  covered  showed  how  bravely  they  had 
fought.  Their  hearts,  too,  hod  been  torn  out  and  carried  off; 
a  proof  of  their  signal  valor ;  for  in  devouring  the  heart  of  a 
foe  renowned  for  bravery,  or  who  has  distinguished  h'-^self  in 
battle,  the  Indian  victor  thinks  he  appropriates  to  hiiiiself  the 
courage  of  the  deceased. 

Gathering  the  mangled  bodies  of  the  slain,  and  strapping 
them  across  their  pack-horses,  the  warriors  returned,  in  dis- 
mal procession,  to  the  village.  The  tribe  came  forth  to  meet 
thom;  the  women  with  piercing  cries  and  wailings;  the  men 
•with  downcast  countenances,  in  which  gloom  and  sorrow 
seemed  fixed  as  if  in  marble.  The  mutilated  and  almost  undis- 
tingiiishable  bodies  were  placed  in  rows  upon  the  ground,  in 
the  midst  of  the  assemblage;  and  the  scene  of  heart-rending 


iS^JyWi'i  »* 


"ti 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE         121 

anguish  and  lamentation  that  ensued  would  have  confounded 
tiiuse  who  insist  on  Indian  stoicism. 

Such  was  the  disastrous  event  that  had  overwhelmed  the 
Nez  Perces  trihe  during  the  absence  of  Captain  Bonneville; 
and  he  was  informed  that  Kosato,  the  renegade,  who,  being 
stationed  in  the  village,  had  been  prevented  from  going  6n  the 
forlorn  hope,  was  again  striving  to  rouse  the  vindictive  feel- 
ings of  his  adopted  brethren,  and  to  prompt  them  to  revenge 
the  slaughter  of  their  devoted  braves. 

During  his  sojourn  on  the  Snake  Hiver  plain.  Captain  Bonne- 
vUle  made  one  of  his  first  essays  at  tlie  strategy  of  the  fur 
trade.  There  was  at  this  time  an  assemblage  of  iNez  Perces, 
Flatheads,  and  Cottonois  Indians  encamped  together  upon  the 
plain;  well  provided  with  beaver,  which  they  had  collected 
during  the  spring.    These  they  were  waiting  to  traffic  with  a 

a  resident  trader  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  who  was 
stationed  among  them,  and  with  whom  they  were  accustomed 
to  deal.  As  it  happened,  the  trader  was  almost  entirely  desti- 
tute of  Indian  goods;  his  spring  supply  not  having  yet  n^ached 
him.  Captain  Bonneville  had  secret  intelligence  that  the  sup- 
plies were  on  their  way,  and  would  soon  arrive ;  he  hoped,  how- 
ever, by  a  prompt  move,  to  anticipate  their  arrival,  and  secure 
the  market  to  himself.  Throwing  himself,  therefore,  among  the 
Indians,  he  opened  his  packs  of  merchandise  and  displayed  the 
most  tempting  wares :  bright  cloths,  and  scarlet  blankets,  and 
glittering  ornaments,  and  everything  gay  and  glorious  in  the 
eyes  of  warrior  or  squaw;  all,  however,  was  in  vain.  The  Hud- 
son's Bay  trader  was  a  perfect  master  of  his  business,  thor- 
rougly  acquainted  with  the  Indians  he  had  to  deal  with,  and 
held  such  control  over  them  that  none  dared  to  act  openly  in 
opposition  to  his  wishes ;  nay,  more — he  came  nigh  turning  the 
tables  upon  the  captain,  and  shaking  the  allegiance  of  some 
of  his  free  trappers,  by  distributing  liquors  among  them.  The 
latter,  therefore,  was  glad  to  give  up  a  competition,  where  the 
war  was  likely  to  be  carried  into  his  own  camp. 

In  fact,  the  traders  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  have  ad- 
vantages over  all  competitors  in  the  trade  beyond  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  That  huge  monopoly  centres  within  itself  not 
merely  its  own  hereditary  and  long-established  power  and  in- 
fluence ;  but  also  those  of  its  ancient  rival,  but  now  integral 
part,  the  famous  Northwest  Company.  It  has  thus  its  races  of 
traders,  trappers,  hunters,  and  voyageurs,  bom  and  brf)ught 
up  m  its  service,  and  inlieriting  from  preceSmg  generatioiyi  « 


! 


w^ 


122 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAJy  BONNEVILLE. 


lilii 


^11 


4   ' 


knowledge  and  aptitude  in  everything  connected  with  Indian 
life,  and  Indian  traffic.  In  the  process  of  years,  this  company 
Las  been  enabled  to  spread  its  ramifications  in  ev^ry  direction ; 
its  system  of  intercourse  is  founded  upon  a  long  and  ultimate 
knowledge  of  the  character  and  necessities  of  the  various  tribes ; 
and  of  all  the  fastnesses,  defiles,  and  favorable  hunting  grounds 
of  the  country.  Their  capital,  also,  and  the  manner  in  which 
their  supplies  are  distributed  at  various  posts,  or  forwarded  by 
regular  caravans,  keep  their  traders  well  supplied,  and  enable 
them  to  furnish  their  goods  to  the  Indians  at  a  cheap  rate. 
Their  men,  too,  being  chiefly  drawn  from  the  Canadas,  where 
they  enjoy  great  influence  and  control,  are  engaged  at  the  most 
trifling  wages,  and  supported  at  little  cost;  the  provisions 
which  they  take  with  them  being  httle  more  than  Indian  com 
and  grease.  They  are  brought  also  into  the  most  perfect  dis- 
cipline and  suboi'dination,  especially  when  their  leaders  have 
once  got  them  to  their  scene  of  action  in  the  heart  of  the  wil- 
derness. 

These  circumstances  combine  to  give  the  leaders  of  the  Hud- 
eon's  Bay  Company  a  decided  advantage  over  all  the  American 
companies  that  come  within  their  range;  so  that  any  close 
competition  with  them  is  almost  hopeless. 

Shortly  after  Captain  Bonneville's  ineffectual  attempt  to 
participate  in  the  trade  of  the  associated  camp,  the  supplies  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  arrived ;  and  the  resident  trader 
was  enabled  to  monopolize  the  market. 

It  was  now  the  beginning  of  July ;  in  the  latter  part  of  which 
month  Captain  BonneviUehad  appointed  a  rendezvous  at  Horse 
Creek  in  Green  River  valley,  with  some  of  the  parties  which 
he  had  detached  in  the  preceding  year.  He  now  turned  his 
thoughts  in  that  direction,  and  prepared  for  the  journey. 

The  Cottonois  were  anxious  for  him  to  proceed  at  once  to 
their  country ;  which,  they  assured  him,  abounded  in  beaver. 
The  lands  of  this  tribe  he  immediately  north  of  those  of  the 
Flatheads  and  are  open  to  the  inroads  of  the  Blackfeet.  It  is 
true,  the  latter  professed  to  be  their  allies ;  but  they  had  been 
guilty  of  so  many  acts  of  perfidy,  that  tlie  Cottonois  had,  lat- 
terly, renounced  their  hollow  friendship  and  attached  them- 
selves to  the  Flatheads  and  Nez  Perces.  These  they  had  accom- 
panied in  their  migrations  rather  than  remain  alone  at  home, 
exposed  to  the  outrages  of  the  Blackfeet.  They  were  now  ap- 
prehensive that  these  marauders  would  range  their  country 
during  their  absence  and  destroy  the  beaver ;  this  was  their 


,,.U.  ^,:3?,- 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLB. 


<i 


.3 


reason  for  urging  Captain  Bonneville  to  make  it  his  autumnal 
hunting  ground.  The  latter,  however,  was  not  to  be  tempted; 
nis  engagements  required  his  presence  at  the  rendezvous  in 
Green  River  valley ;  and  he  had  already  formed  his  ulterior 
plans. 

An  unexpected  difficulty  now  arose.  The  free  trappei*s  sud- 
denly made  a  stand,  and  declined  to  accompany  him.  It  was 
a  long  and  weary  journey ;  the  route  lay  through  Pierre's  Hole, 
and  other  mountain  passes  infested  by  the  Blackfeet,  and  re- 
cently the  scenes  of  sanguinary  conflicts.  They  were  not  dis- 
posed to  undertake  such  unnecessary  toils  and  dangers,  when 
they  had  good  and  secure  trapping  grounds  nearer  at  hand,  on 
the  head-waters  of  Salmon  River. 

As  these  were  free  and  independent  fellows,  whose  will  and 
whim  were  apt  to  be  law — who  had  the  whole  wilderness  be- 
fore them,  "  where  to  choose,"  and  the  trader  of  a  rival  com- 
pany at  hand,  ready  to  pay  for  their  sei'vices— it  was  necessary 
to  bend  to  their  wishes.  Captain  Bonneville  fitted  them  out, 
therefore,  for  the  himting  ground  in  question ;  appointing  Mr. 
Ilodgkiss  to  act  as  their  partisan,  or  leader,  and  fixing  a  ren- 
dezvous where  he  should  meet  them  in  the  course  of  the  ensu- 
ing winter.  The  brigade  consisted  of  twenty-one  free  trappers 
and  four  or  five  hired  men  as  camp-keepers.  This  was  not  the 
exact  arrangement  of  a  trapping  party ;  which  when  accurately 
organized  is  composed  of  two  thirds  trappers  whose  duty  leads 
them  continually  abroad  in  pursuit  of  game;  and  one  third 
camp-keepers  who  cook,  pack,  and  unpack;  set  up  the  tents, 
take  care  of  the  horses  and  do  all  other  duties  usually  assigned 
by  the  Indians  to  their  women.  This  part  of  the  service  is  apt 
to  b(i  fulfilled  by  French  Creoles  from  Canada  and  the  valley  of 
the  Mississippi. 

In  the  meantime  the  associated  Indians  having  completed 
their  trade  and  received  their  supplies,  were  all  ready  to  dis- 
l)erse  in  various  directions.  As  there  was  a  formidaljle  band 
of  Blackfeet  just  ^ver  a  mountain  to  the  northeast,  by  which 
Hodgkiss  and  his  free  trappers  would  have  to  pass ;  and  as  it 
was  known  that  those  sharp-sighted  marauders  had  their 
scouts  out  watching  every  movement  of  the  encampments,  so 
as  to  cut  off  stragglers  or  weak  detachments,  Captain  Bonne- 
ville prevailed  upon  the  Nez  Percys  to  a';coiiipany  Hodgkiss 
and  his  party  until  they  should  be  beyond  the  range  of  the 
oiiomy. 

The  Cottonois  and  the  Pends  Orcilles  determined  to  move 


j> 


y 


!fW 


\<  ( 


124        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 

together  at  the  same  time,  and  to  pass  close  under  the  moun- 
tain infested  by  the  Blackfeet ;  while  Captain  Bonneville,  with 
his  party,  was  to  strike  in  an  opposite  direction  to  the  south- 
east, bending  his  course  for  Pierre's  Hole,  on  his  way  to  Green 
River. 

Accordingly,  on  the  Gth  of  July,  all  the  camps  were  raised  at 
the  same  moment ;  each  party  taking  its  separate  route.  The 
scene  was  wild  and  picturesque ;  the  long  line  of  traders,  trap- 
pers, and  Indians,  with  their  rugged  and  fantastic  dresses  and 
accoutrements ;  their  varied  weapons,  their  innumerable 
horses,  some  under  the  saddle,  some  burdened  with  packages, 
others  following  in  droves;  all  stretching  in  lengthening  caval- 
cades across  the  vast  landscape,  and  making  for  different 
points  of  the  plains  and  mountains. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

PRECAUTIONS  IN  DANGEROUS  DEFILES— TRAPPERS'  MODE  OP 
DEFENCE  ON  A  PRAIRIE — ^A  MYSTERIOUS  VISITOR — ARRIVAL  IN 
GREEN  RIVER  VALLEY — ADVENTURES  OF  THE  DETACHMENTS— 
THE  FORLORN  PARTISAN— HIS  TALE  OF  DISASTERS. 

As  the  route  of  Captain  Bonneville  lay  through  what  was 
considered  the  most  perilous  part  of  this  region  of  dangers,  he 
took  all  his  measures  with  military  skill,  and  observed  the 
strictest  circumspection.  When  on  the  march,  a  small  scout- 
ing party  was  thrown  in  the  advance  to  reconnoitre  the  coun- 
try through  which  they  were  to  pass.  The  encampments  were 
selected  with  great  care,  and  a  watch  was  kept  up  night  and 
day.  The  horses  were  brought  in  and  picketed  at  night,  and 
at  daybreak  a  party  was  sent  out  to  scour  the  neighborhood  for 
half  a  mile  round,  beating  up  every  grove  and  thicket  that 
could  give  shelter  to  a  lurking  foe.  When  all  was  reported 
safe,  the  horses  were  cast  loose  and  turned  out  to  graze.  Were 
such  precautions  generally  observed  by  traders  and  hunters, 
we  should  not  so  often  hear  of  par-ties  being  surprised  by  the 
Indians. 

Having  stated  the  military  arrangements  of  the  captain,  we 
may  hero  mention  a  mode  of  defence  on  the  open  prairie, 
i,»rhich  we  have  heard  from  a  veteran  in  the  Indian  tradei 


If' 


Xi.'^JStitrt^i. 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE.        105 


When  a  party  of  trappers  is  on  a  journey  with  a  convoy  of 
goods  or  peltries,  every  man  has  three  pack-horses  under  his 
care ;  each  horse  laden  with  three  packs.  Evo'v  man  is  pro- 
vided with  a  picket  with  an  iron  head,  a  mallet,  and  hobbles, 
or  leathern  fetters  for  the  horses.  The  trappers  proceed  across 
the  prairie  in  a  long  line ;  or  sometimes  three  parallel  lines, 
suflBciently  distant  from  each  other  to  prevent  the  packs  from 
interfering.  At  an  alarm,  when  there  is  no  covert  at  hand, 
the  line  wheels  so  as  to  bring  the  front  to  the  rear  and  form 
a  circle.  All  then  dismount,  drive  their  pickets  into  the 
ground  in  the  centre,  fasten  the  horses  to  them,  and  liobble 
their  forelegs,  so  thnt,  in  case  of  alarm,  they  cannot  break 
away.  Then  they  unload  them,  and  dispose  of  their  packs  as 
breastworks  on  the  periphery  of  the  circle ;  each  man  having 
nine  packs  behind  which  to  shelter  himself.  In  this  promptly- 
formed  fortress,  they  await  the  assault  of  the  enemy,  and  are 
enabled  to  set  large  bands  of  Indians  at  defiance. 

The  first  night  of  his  march.  Captain  Bonneville  encamped 
upon  Henry's  Fork ;  an  upper  branch  of  Snake  River,  called 
alter  the  first  American  trader  that  erected  a  fort  beyond  the 
mountains.  About  an  hdiir  after  all  hands  had  come  to  a 
halt  the  clatter  of  hoofs  was  heard,  and  a  solitary  female,  of 
the  Nez  Perce  tribe,  came  galloping  up.  She  was  mounted 
on  a  mustang  or  half  wild  horse,  which  she  managed  by  a 
long  rope  hitched  round  the  under  jaw  by  way  of  bridle. 
Dismounting,  she  walked  silently  into  the  midst  of  the  camp, 
and  there  seated  herself  on  the  ground,  stiU  holding  her  horse 
by  the  long  halter. 

The  sudden  and  lonely  apparition  of  this  woman,  and  her 
calm  yet  resolute  demeanor,  awakened  universal  curiosity. 
The  hunters  and  trappei*s  gathered  round,  and  gazed  on  her 
as  something  mysterious.  She  remained  silent,  but  main- 
tained her  air  of  calmness  and  self-possession.  Captain  Bonne- 
ville approached  and  interrogated  her  as  to  the  object  of  her 
mysterious  visit.  Her  answer  was  brief  but  earnest—"  I  love 
the  whites— I  will  go  with  them."  She  was  forthwith  invited 
to  a  lodge,  or  which  she  readily  took  poRscssion,  and  from  that 
time  forward  was  considered  one  of  the  camp. 

In  consequence,  very  probably,  of  the  military  precautions 
of  Captain  Bonneville,  he  conducted  his  party  in  safety 
through  this  hazardous  region.  No  accident  of  a  disastrous 
kinrl  occurred,  excepting  the  ioss  of  a  horse,  which,  in  passing 
along  the  giddy  edge  of  a  precipice,  called  the  Cornice,  a  dan- 


M 


1!  ! 


.» 


■ 


PfW 


IIM 


126 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


;  >   J 


gerous  pass  between  Jackson's  and  Pierre's  Hole,  fell  over  the 
brink,  and  was  dashed  to  pieces. 

On  tho  13th  of  July  (1833),  Captain  Bonneville  arrived  at 
Green  River.  As  he  entered  the  valley,  he  beheld  it  strewed  in 
every  direction  with  the  carcasses  of  buffaloes.  It  was  evident 
that  Indians  had  recently  been  there,  and  in  great  numbers. 
Alarmed  at  this  sight,  he  came  to  a  halt,  and  as  soon  as  it  was 
dark,  sent  out  spies  to  his  place  of  rendezvous  on  Horse  Creek, 
where  ho  had  expected  to  meet  with  his  detached  parties  of 
trappers  on  the  following  day.  Early  in  the  morning  the  spies 
made  tlieir  appearance  in  the  camp,  and  with  them  came  three 
tnippers  of  ono  of  his  bands,  from  the  rendezvous,  who  told 
him  his  people  Avere  all  there  expecting  him.  As  to  tho 
slaughter  among  the  buffaloes,  it  had  been  made  by  a  friendly 
band  of  Shoshonies,  who  had  fallen  in  with  one  of  his  trapping 
parties,  and  accompanied  them  to  the  rendezvous.  Having 
imparted  this  iiitelligcnco,  the  three  worthies  from  the  ren- 
dezvous broached  a  small  keg  of  "  alcohol, "  which  they  had 
brought  with  them,  to  enliven  this  merry  meeting.  The  liquor 
went  briskly  round ;  all  absent  friends  were  toasted,  and  the 
party  moved  forward  to  tho  rendezvous  in  high  spirits. 

The  meeting  of  associated  bands,  who  have  been  separated 
from  each  other  on  these  liazardous  enterprises,  is  always  in- 
teresting; each  having  its  tales  of  perils  and  adventures  to 
relate.  Such  was  the  case  with  the  various  detachments  of 
Captain  Bonneville's  company,  thus  brought  together  on  Horse 
Creek.  Here  was  the  detachment  of  fifty  men  which  he  had 
sent  from  Salmon  River,  in  the  preceding  month  of  November, 
to  winter  on  Snake  River.  They  had  met  with  many  crosses 
and  losses  in  tho  course  of  their  spring  hunt,  not  so  much  from 
Indians  as  from  white  men.  They  had  come  in  competition 
with  rival  trapping  parties,  particularly  one  belonging  to  the 
Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company ;  and  they  had  long  stories  to 
relate  of  their  manoeuvres  to  forestall  or  distress  each  other. 
In  fact,  in  these  virulent  and  sordid  competitions,  the  trappers 
of  each  party  wore  more  intent  upon  injuring  their  rivals, 
than  benefitting  themselves ;  breaking  each  other's  traps,  tramp- 
linr^  and  tearing  to  pieces  tho  beaver  lodges,  and  doing  every- 
tliing  in  their  power  to  mar  the  success  of  the  hunt.  We  for- 
bc>ar  to  detail  these  pitiful  contentions. 

Tho  most  lamentable  tale  ol'  disasters,  however,  that  Captain 
Bonneville  hcA  to  hear,  was  from  a  partisan,  whom  he  had 
detached  in  tho  preceding  year,  with  twenty  men,  to  hunt 


>t.  .y^"^i>!)3>am9.u 


ADYENTUIIES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


127 


through  the  outskirts  of  the  Crow  country,  and  on  the  tribu- 
tary streams  of  the  Yellowstone;  whence  he  was  to  proceed 
and  join  him  in  his  winter  quarters  on  Sahnon  River.  This 
partisan  appeared  at  the  rimdezvous  without  his  party,  and  a 
sorrowful  tale  of  disasters  had  he  to  relate.  In  limiting  the 
Crow  country,  he  fell  in  with  a  village  of  that  tribe ;  notorious 
rogues,  jockeys,  and  horse  stealers,  and  errant  scamperers  of 
the  raoiuitains.  These  decoyed  most  of  his  men  to  desert,  and 
carry  off  horses,  traps,  and  accoutrements.  Wlien  he  at- 
tempted to  retake  the  deserters,  the  Crow  warriors  ruffled  up 
to  him  and  declared  the  deserters  were  their  good  friends,  had 
determined  to  remain  among  them,  and  should  not  be  mo- 
lested. The  poor  partisan,  therefore,  was  fain  to  leave  his 
vagabonds  among  these  birds  of  their  own  feather,  and  being 
too  weak  in  numbei-s  to  attempt  the  dangerous  pass  across  the 
mountains  to  meet  Captain  Bonneville  on  Salmon  River,  ho 
made,  with  the'  few  that  remained  faithful  to  him,  for  the 
neighborhood  of  TuUock's  Fort,  on  the  Yellowstone,  under  the 
protection  of  which  he  went  into  winter  quarters. 

He  soon  found  out  that  the  neighborhood  of  the  fort  was 
nearly  as  bad  as  the  neighborhood  of  the  Ciows.  His  men 
were  continually  stealing  away  thither,  with  whatever  beaver 
skins  they  could  secrete  or  lay  their  hands  on.  These  they 
would  exchange  with  the  hangers-on  of  the  fort  for  whiskey, 
and  then  revel  in  drunkenness  and  debauchery. 

The  unlucky  partisan  made  another  move.  Associating  with 
his  party  a  few  free  trappers,  whom  he  met  with  in  this  neigh- 
borhood, he  started  off  early  in  the  spring  to  trap  on  the  head 
waters  of  Powder  River.  In  the  course  of  the  joiirney,  his 
horses  were  so  much  jaded  in  traversing  a  steep  mountain, 
that  he  was  induced  to  turn  them  loose  to  graze  during  the 
night.  The  place  was  lonely ;  the  path  was  rugged ;  there  was 
not  the  sign  of  an  Indian  in  the  neighborhood ;  not  a  blade  of 
grass  that  had  been  turned  by  a  footstep.  But  who  can  calcu- 
late on  security  in  the  midst  of  the  Indian  country,  where  the 
foe  lurks  in  silence  and  secrecy,  and  seems  to  come  and  go  on 
the  wings  of  the  wind?  The  horses  had  scarce  been  turned 
loose,  when  a  couple  of  Ariciiara  (or  Rickaree)  warriors  en- 
tered the  camp.  They  affected  a  frank  and  friendly  demeanor ; 
but  their  appearance  and  movements  awakened  the  suspicions 
of  some  of  the  veteran  trappers,  well  versed  in  Indian  wiles. 
Convinced  that  they  were  spies  sent  on  some  sinister  errand, 
they  took  them  in  custody,  and  set  to  work  to  drive  in  the 


IP 

;   ?  -(3 


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if.iS 


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\    ■  I 


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PTW 


128        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 

horses.  It  was  too  late — the  horses  were  already  gone.  In 
fact,  a  war  party  of  Arickaras  had  been  hovering  on  their  trail 
for  several  days,  watching  with  the  patience  and  perseverance 
of  Indians,  for  some  moment  of  negligence  and  fancied  secu- 
rity, to  make  a  successful  swoop.  The  two  spies  had  evidently 
been  sent  into  the  camp  to  create  a  diversion,  while  their  con- 
federates carried  off  the  spoil. 

The  unlucky  partisan,  thus  robbed  of  his  horses,  turned  fnri- 
ously  on  his  prisoners,  ordered  them  to  be  bound  hand  and 
foot,  and  swore  to  put  them  to  death  unless  his  property  were 
restored.  The  robbers,  who  soon  found  that  their  spies  were 
in  captivity,  now  made  their  appearance  on  horseback,  and 
held  a  parley.  The  sight  of  them,  mounted  on  the  very  horses 
they  had  stolen,  set  the  blood  of  the  mountaineers  in  a  fer- 
ment; but  it  was  useless  to  attack  them,  as  they  would  have 
but  to  turn  tbeir  steeds  and  scamper  out  of  the  reach  of  pedes- 
trians. A  negotiation  was  now  attempted.  The  Arickaras 
offered  what  they  considered  fair  terms ;  to  barter  one  horse, 
or  even  two  horses,  for  a  prisoner.  The  mountaineers  spurned 
at  their  offer,  and  declared  that,  unless  all  the  horses  were  re- 
linquished, the  prisoners  should  be  burnt  to  death.  To  give 
force  to  their  threat,  a  pyre  of  logs  and  fagots  was  heaped  up 
and  kindled  into  a  blaze. 

The  parley  continued;  the  Arickaras  released  one  horse  and 
then  another,  in  earnest  of  their  proposition ;  finding,  however, 
that  nothing  short  of  the  relinquishment  of  all  their  spoils 
would  purchase  the  lives  of  the  captives,  they  abandoned  them 
to  their  fate,  moving  off  with  many  parting  words  and  lament- 
able bowlings.  The  prisoners  seeing  them  depart,  and  know- 
ing the  horrible  fate  that  awaited  them,  made  a  desperate 
effort  to  escape.  They  partially  succeeded,  but  were  severely 
wounded  and  retaken ;  then  dragged  to  the  blazing  pyre,  and 
burnt  to  death  in  the  sight  of  their  retreating  comrades. 

Such  are  the  savage  cruelties  that  white  men  learn  to  prac- 
tise, who  mingle  in  savage  life ;  and  such  are  the  acts  that  lead 
to  terrible  recrimination  on  the  part  of  the  Indians.  Should 
we  hear  of  any  atrocities  committed  by  the  Arickaras  upon 
captive  white  men,  let  this  signal  and  recent  provocation  be 
borne  in  mind.  Individual  cases  of  the  kind  dwell  in  the  recol- 
lections of  whole  tribes ;  and  it  is  a  point  of  honor  and  con- 
science to  revenge  them. 

The  loss  of  his  horses  completed  the  ruin  of  the  unlucky  par- 
tisan.   It  was  out  of  bis  power  to  prosecute  his  himting,  or  to 


iiite»W'«iiii«i 


ADVE^'fURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE.         129 

maintain  his  party ;  the  only  thought  now  was  how  to  get  back 
♦o  civilized  life.  At  the  first  water-course,  his  men  built  cnnoca, 
and  committed  themselves  to  the  stream.  Some  engaged  them- 
selves at  various  trading  establislunents  at  which  they  touched, 
otTiers  got  back  to  the  settlements.  As  to  the  partisan,  he  found 
an  opportunity  to  make  his  way  to  the  rendezvous  at  Green 
Biver  valley ;  which  he  reached  in  time  to  render  to  Captain 
Ponneville  this  forlorn  account  of  his  misadventures. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


fiATHERING  IN  GREEN  RIVER  VALLEY— VISITINGS  AND  FEASTINGS 
OF  LEADERS  —  ROUGH  WASSAILING  AMONG  THE  TRAPPERS  — 
WILD  BLADES  OP  THE  MOUNTAINS— INDIAN  BELLES— POTENCY 
OF  BRIGHT  BEADS  AND  RED  BLANKETS— ARRIVAL  OF  SUPPLIES 
—  REVELRY  AND  EXTRAVAGANCE  —  MAD  WOLVES  — THE  LOST 
INDIAN. 

The  Green  River  valley  was  at  this  time  the  scene  of  one  of 
those  general  gatherings  of  traders,  trappers,  and  Indians,  that 
we  have  already  mentioned.  The  three  rival  companies,  which, 
for  a  year  past  had  been  endeavoring  to  out-trade,  out-trap, 
and  outwit  each  other,  were  here  encamped  in  close  proximity, 
awaiting  their  annual  supplies.  About  four  miles  from  the 
rendezvous  of  Captain  Bonneville  was  that  of  the  American 
Fur  Company,  hard  by  which,  was  that  also  of  the  Rocky 
Mountain  Fur  Company. 

After  the  eager  rivalry  and  almost  hostihty  displayed  by 
these  companies  in  their  late  campaigns,  it  might  be  expected 
that,  when  thus  brought  in  juxtaposition,  they  would  hold 
themselves  warily  and  sternly  aloof  from  each  other,  and, 
should  they  happen  to  come  in  contact,  brawl  and  bloodshed 
would  ensue. 

No  such  thing !  Never  did  rival  lawyers  after  a  ^vrangle  at 
the  bar  meet  with  more  social  good-humor  at  a  circuit  dinner. 
The  hunting  season  over,  all  past  tricks  and  manoeuvres  are 
forgotten,  all  feuds  and  bickerings  buried  in  oblivion.  From 
the  middle  of  June  to  the  middle  of  September,  all  trapping  is 
suspended ;  for  the  beavers  are  then  shedding  their  furs  and 
their  skins  are  of  little  value.    This,  then,  is  the  trapper's  hoK* 


\    F 


r-; 


WW 


■i 


If 


X30        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 

day  when  he  is  all  for  fun  and  frolic,  and  ready  for  a  satur- 
nalia among  the  mountains. 

At  the  present  season,  too,  all  parties  were  in  good  humor. 
The  year  had  been  productive.  Competition,  by  threatening 
to  lessen  their  profits,  had  quickened  their  wits,  roused  their 
energies,  and  made  them  turn  every  favorable  chance  to  the 
best  advantage;  so  that,  on  assembling  at  their  respective 
places  of  rendezvous,  each  company  found  itself  in  possession 
of  a  rich  stock  of  peltries. 

The  leaders  of  the  ditferent  companies,  therefore,  mingled  on 
terms  of  perfect  good-fellowship ;  interchauging  visits,  and  re- 
galing each  other  in  the  best  style  their  respective  camps  af- 
forded. But  the  rich  treat  for  the  worthy  captain  was  to  see 
the  "  chivalry"  of  the  various  encampments  engaged  in  contestt) 
of  skill  at  running,  jumping,  wresthng,  shooting  with  the  rifle, 
and  running  horses.  And  then  their  rough  hunters'  feastinga 
and  carousals.  They  drank  together,  they  sang,  they  laughed, 
they  whooped ;  they  tried  to  outbrag  and  outlie  each  other  ir» 
stories  of  their  adventures  and  achievements.  Here  the  freo 
trappers  were  in  all  their  glory;  they  considered  themselvea 
the  "cocks  of  the  walk,"  and  always  carried  the  highest  crests. 
Now  and  then  familiarity  was  pushed  too  far,  and  would  effer- 
vesce into  a  brawl,  and  a  "  rough  and  tumble"  fight;  but  it  all 
ended  in  cordial  reconciliation  and  maudlin  endearment. 

The  presence  of  the  Shoshonie  tribe  contributed  occasionally 
to  cause  temporary  jealousies  and  feuds.  The  Shoshonie  beau- 
ties became  objects  of  rivalry  among  some  of  the  amorous 
mountaineers.  Happy  was  the  trapper  who  could  muster  up  a 
red  blanket,  a  string  of  gay  beads,  or  a  paper  of  precious  ver- 
milion, with  which  to  win  the  smiles  of  a  Shoshonie  fair  one. 

The  caravans  of  supplies  arrived  at  the  valley  just  at  this 
period  of  gallantry  and  good-fellowship.  Now  commenced  a 
scene  of  eager  competition  and  wild  prodigaUty  at  the  different 
encampments.  Bales  were  hastQy  ripped  open,  and  their  motley 
contents  poured  forth.  A  mania  for  purchasing  spread  itself 
throughout  the  several  bands — munitions  for  war,  for  hunting, 
for  gallantry,  were  seized  upon  with  equal  avidity — rifles, 
hunting  knives,  traps,  scarlet  cloth,  red  blankets,  garish  beads, 
and  glittering  trinkets,  were  bought  at  any  price,  and  scores 
run  up  without  any  thought  how  they  were  ever  to  be  laibbed 
oil.  The  free  trappers  especially  were  extravagant  in  their 
purchases.  For  a  free  mountaineer  to  pause  at  a  paltry  con- 
sideration of  dollars  and  cents,  in  the  attainment  of  any  object 


that  migh 
of  the  beaj 
refuse  one 
ever  unpai 
grant  affrc 

Now  su( 
gance.  Tl 
dashed  ab( 
The  Shosh( 
the  rainbo 
fullest  extc 
squanderec 
in  debt,  we 
ness. 

During  t 
mad  wolve 
animals  en 
bit  several 

Captain '. 
universal  f i 
one  of  thesf 
he  grew  si] 
he  wished  t 
faster,  but 
ing  from  hi 
ing  his  teet 
senses,  and 
he  should 
They  hurrii 
nowhere  t( 
mained  up( 
tary  Indiai 
valley,  and 
the  mounts 

Another 
present  in 
Mountain  I 
afterward  i 
settlementfi 
of  hydroph 
breaking  a 
of  willows, 


,  ikgji.ai»» '  ^ 


M'ii 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


131 


that  might  strike  his  fancy,  would  stamp  him  with  the  mark 
of  tho  beast  in  the  estimation  of  his  comrades.  For  a  trader  to 
refuse  one  of  these  free  and  flourishing  blades  a  credit,  what- 
ever unpaid  scores  might  stare  him  in  the  face,  would  be  a  fla- 
grant affront,  scarcely  to  be  forgiven. 

Now  succeeded  anothcT'  outbreak  of  revelry  and  extrava- 
gance. The  trappere  were  newly  fitted  out  and  arrayed,  and 
dashed  about  with  their  horses  caparisoned  in  Indian  style. 
The  Shoshonie  beauties  also  flaunted  about  in  all  the  colors  of 
the  rainbow.  Every  freak  of  prodigality  was  indulged  to  its 
fullest  extent,  and  in  a  little  while  most  of  the  trappers,  having 
squandered  away  all  their  wages,  and  perhaps  run  knee-deep 
in  debt,  were  ready  for  another  hard  campaign  in  the  wilder- 
ness. 

During  this  season  of  folly  and  frolic,  there  was  an  alarm  of 
mad  wolves  in  the  two  lower  camps.  One  or  more  of  these 
animals  entered  the  camps  for  three  nights  successively,  and 
bit  several  of  the  people. 

Captain  Bonneville  relates  the  case  of  an  Indian  who  was  a 
universal  favorite  in  the  lower  camp.  He  had  been  bitten  by 
one  of  these  animals.  Being  out  with  a  party  shortly  afterward 
he  grew  silent  and  gloomy,  and  lagged  behind  the  rest,  as  if 
he  wished  to  leave  them.  They  halted  and  urged  him  to  move 
faster,  but  he  entreated  them  not  to  approach  him,  and,  leap- 
ing from  his  horse,  began  oo  roll  frantically  on  the  earth,  gnash- 
ing his  teeth  and  foaming  at  the  mouth.  Still  he  retained  his 
senses,  and  warned  his  companions  not  to  come  near  him,  as 
he  should  not  be  able  to  restrain  himself  from  biting  them. 
They  hurried  off  to  obtain  relief;  but  on  their  return  he  was 
nowhere  to  be  found.  His  horse  and  his  accoutrements  re- 
mained upon  the  spot.  Three  or  four  days  afterward,  a  soli' 
tary  Indian,  believed  to  be  the  same,  was  observed  crossing  a 
valley,  and  pursued ;  buL  he  darted  away  into  the  fastnesses  of 
the  mountains,  and  was  seen  no  more. 

Another  instance  we  have  from  a  different  person  who  was 
present  in  the  encampment.  One  of  the  men  of  the  Rocky 
Mountain  Fur  Company  had  been  bitten.  He  set  out  shortly 
afterward  in  company  with  two  white  men,  on  his  return  to  the 
settlements.  In  the  course  of  a  few  days  he  showed  symptoms 
of  hydrophobia,  and  became  raving  toward  night.  At  lencrth, 
breaking  away  from  his  companions,  he  rushed  into  a  thicket 
of  willows,  where  they  left  him  to  his  fate ! 


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132        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


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CHAPTER  XXI. 

SCHEMES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE— THE  GREAT  SALT  LAKE— EX- 
PEDITION TO  EXPLORE  IT— PREPARATIONS  FOR  A  JOURNEY  TO 
THE    BIGHORN. 

Captain  Bonneville  now  found  himseK  at  the  head  of  a 
hardy,  well-seasoned  and  well-appointed  compai  y  of  trappers, 
all  benefited  by  at  least  one  year's  experience  among  the  moun- 
tains, and  capable  of  protecting  themselves  from  Indian  wiles 
and  stratagems,  and  of  providing  for  their  subsistence  wherever 
game  was  to  be  found.  He  had.  also,  an  excellent  troop  of 
horses,  in  prime  condition,  and  fit  for  hard  service.  He  deter- 
mined, therefore,  to  strike  out  into  some  of  the  bolder  parts  of 
his  scheme.  One  of  these  was  to  carry  hia  expeditions  into 
some  of  the  unknown  tracts  of  the  Far  West,  beyond  what  is 
generally  termed  the  buffalo  range.  This  would  have  some- 
thing of  the  merit  and  charm  of  discovery,  so  dear  to  every 
bra^e  aiid  adventurous  spirit.  Another  favorite  project  was 
to  establisli  a  trading  post  on  the  low^r  part  of  the  Columbia 
River,  near  the  Multnomah  valley,  and  to  endeavor  to  re- 
trieve for  his  country  some  of  the  lost  trade  of  Astoria. 

The  first  of  the  above  mentioned  views  was,  at  present, 
uppermost  m  his  mind— the  exploring  of  unknown  regions. 
Among  the  grand  features  of  the  wilderness  about  which  he 
was  roaming,  one  had  mode  a  vivid  impression  on  his  mind, 
and  been  clothed  by  his  imagination  vith  vague  and  ideal 
charms.  This  is  a  great  lake  of  salt  water,  laving  the  feet  of  tht> 
mcuntains,  but  extending  far  to  the  west-south v^est,  into  one 
of  tliose  vast  and  elevated  plateaus  of  land,  which  range  high 
above  the  level  of  the  Pacific. 

Capiiiin  Bonneville  gives  a  striking  account  of  the  lake  when 
seen  from  the  land.  As  you  ascend  the  movmtains  about  ita 
shores,  says  he,  you  !»ohold  this  immense  body  of  water  spread- 
ing itself  l)ef<iro  you,  and  stretching  further  and  further,  in  > ,  a 
wide  and  far-reaching  expanse,  until  the  eye,  wearied  with 
continued  and  strained  attention,  rests  in  t,he  blue  dimness  of 
distance,  upon  lofty  ranges  of  mountains,  -lonfidently  asserted 
to  rise  from  the  bo  ,om  of  the  waters,    x^earer  to  you,  the 


jyL«»MMi*..> 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


133 


smooth  and  unruffled  surface  is  studded  with  little  islands, 
where  the  mountain  sheep  roam  in  considerable  numbei'S. 
What  extent  of  lowland  may  be  encompassed  by  the  iugh 
peaks  beyond,  must  remain  for  the  present  matter  of  mere 
conjecture;  though  from  the  form  of  the  summits,  and  the 
breaks  which  may  be  discovered  among  them,  there  can  be 
little  doubt  that  they  are  the  sources  of  streams  calculated  to 
water  large  tracts,  which  are  probably  concealed  from  view  by 
the  rotundity  of  the  lake's  surface.  At  some  future  day,  in 
all  probability,  the  rich  harvest  of  beaver  fur,  which  mpy  be 
reasonably  anticipated  in  such  a  spot,  will  tempt  adve^turei^ 
to  reduce  all  this  doubtful  region  to  the  palpable  certainty  of  a 
beaten  track.  At  present,  however,  destitute  of  the  means  of 
making  boats,  the  trapper  stands  upon  the  shore,  and  gazes 
upon  a  promised  land  which  his  feet  are  never  to  tread. 

Such  is  the  somewhat  fanciful  view  which  Captain  Bonne- 
ville gives  of  this  great  body  of  water.  He  has  evidently 
taken  part  of  his  ideas  concerning  it  from  the  representationK 
of  others,  who  have  somewhat  exaggerated  its  features,  It  is 
reported  to  be  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  long,  and 
fifty  miles  broad.  The  ranges  of  mountain  peaks  which  Cap- 
tam  Bonneville  speaks  of,  as  rising  from  its  bosom,  are  prola- 
ably  the  summits  of  mountains  beyond  it,  which  may  be 
visible  at  a  vast  distance,  when  viewed  from  an  eminence,  in  the 
transparent  atmosphere  of  these  lofty  regions.  Several  large 
islands  certainly  exist  in  the  lake ;  one  of  which  is  said  to  be 
mountainous,  but  not  by  any  means  to  the  extent  required  to 
furnish  the  series  of  peaks  above  mentioned. 

Captain  Sublette,  in  one  of  his  earlj-  expeditions  across  the 
mountains,  is  said  to  hav^e  sent  four  men  in  a  skin  canoe,  to 
explore  the  lake,  who  professed  to  have  navigated  A\  round  it ; 
but  to  have  suffered  excessively  from  thirst,  the  water  of  the 
lake  being  extremely  salt,  and  there  being  no  fresh  streams 
running  into  it. 

Captain  Bonneville  doubts  this  report,  or  that  the  men  ac- 
complisbed  the  circumnavigation,  because,  he  says,  the  lake 
receives  several  large  streams  from  the  mountains  which 
bound  it  to  the  east.  In  the  spring,  when  the  streams  are 
swollen  by  rain  and  by  the  melting  of  the  snows,  the  lake  rises 
several  feet  above  its  ordinary  level;  during  tho  siimm  r,  it 
gradually  subsides  again,  leaving  a  sparkling  zone  of  the  linest 
salt  upon  its  shores. 

The  elevation  of  the  vast  plateau  on  which  this  lake  is  situ* 


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134        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 

ated,  is  estimated  by  Captain  Bonneville  at  one  and  three 
fourths  of  a  mile  above  the  level  of  the  ocean.  The  admirable 
purity  and  transparency  of  the  atmosphere  in  this  region,  al- 
lowing objects  to  be  seen,  and  the  report  of  firearms  to  bo 
heard  at  an  astonishing  distance;  and  its  extreme  dryness, 
causing  the  wheels  of  wagons  to  fall  in  pieces,  as  instanced  in 
former  passages  of  this  work,  are  proofs  of  the  great  altitude 
of  the  Eocky  Mountain  plains.  That  a  body  of  salt  water 
should  exist  at  such  a  height,  is  cited  as  a  singular  phenome- 
non by  Captain  Bonneville,  though  the  salt  lake  of  Me:doo  is 
not  much  inferior  in  elevation.* 

To  have  this  lake  properl/  explored,  and  all  its  secrets  re- 
vealed, was  the  grand  scheme  of  the  captain  for  the  present 
year;  and  while  it  was  one  in  which  his  imagination  evidently 
took  a  leading  part,  he  believed  it  v^ould  be  attended  with  grea,t 
profit,  from  the  numerous  beaver  streams  with  which  the  iak' 
must  be  fringed. 

This  momentous  undertaking  he  confided  to  his  lieutenant, 
Mr.  Walker,  in  whose  experience  and  ability  he  had  great  con- 
fidence. He  instructed  him  to  keep  along  the  shores  of  the 
lake,  and  trap  in  all  the  streams  on  his  route ;  also  to  keep  a 
journal,  and  minutely  to  record  the  events  of  bis  .ioumey,  and 
everything  curious  or  interest!  .^,  making  maps  or  charts  of 
his  route,  and  of  the  surrounding  country. 

No  pains  nor  expense  were  spared  in  fitting  out  the  party,  of 
forty  men,  which  he  was  to  command.  They  had  complete 
supplies  for  a  year,  and  were  to  meet  Captain  Bonneville  in 
the  ensuing  summer,  in  the  valley  of  Bear  River,  the  largest 
tributary  of  the  Salt  Lake,  which  was  to  be  his  point  of  general 
rendezvous. 

The  next  care  of  Captain  Bonneville,  was  to  arrange  for  the 
safe  transportation  of  the  peltries  whir^h  he  had  collected,  to 
the  Atlantic  States.  Mr.  Robert  Campbell,  the  partner  of  Sub- 
lette, was  at  this  time  in  the  rendezvous  of  the  Rocky  Mouu' 
tain  Fur  Company,  having  brought  up  their  supplies.  He  was 
about  to  set  off  on  his  return,  with  the  peltries  collected  during 
the  yenr,  and  intended  to  proceed  through  the  Crow  country, 
to  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Bighorn  River,  and  to  descend 


*  The  lake  of  Tezcuco,  which  eurrounds  the  city  of  Mexico,  the  largest  and  lowest 
of  the  Ave  lakea  in  the  Mexican  plateau,  and  one  of  the  most  impregnated  with  saline 
particles,  is  seven  thousand  foiir  hundred  and  sixty-eight  feet,  or  nearly  one  rail* 
Rud  a  half  above  the  level  of  the  8ea. 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


135 


in  boats  down  that  river,  the  Missouri,  and  the  Yellowstone,  to 
St.  Louis. 

Captain  Bonneville  determined  to  forward  his  peltries  by 
the  same  route,  under  the  especial  care  of  Mr.  Cerre.  By  way 
of  escort,  he  would  accompany  Oerre  to  the  point  of  embarka- 
tion and  then  mtike  an  autunmal  hunt  in  the  Crow  country , 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

TEE  CROW  COUNTRY-  -A  CROW  PARADISE— HABITS  OP  THE  CROWS 
— ANECDOTES  OF  ROSE,  THE  RENEGADE  WHITE  MAN— HIS  FIGHTS 
WITH  THE  BLACKFEET— HIS  ELEVATION— HIS  DEATH— ARAPOO- 
ISH,  THE  CROW  CHIEF— HIS  EAGLE— ADVENTURE  OF  ROBERT 
CAMPBELL— HONOR  AMONG  CROWS. 


Before  we  accompany  Captain  Bonneville  into  the  Crow 
country,  we  will  impart  a  few  facts  about  this  wild  region, 
and  the  wild  people  who  inhabit  it.  We  are  not  aware  of  the 
precise  boundaries,  if  there  are  any,  of  the  country  claimed  by 
the  Crows;  it  appears  to  extend  from  the  Black  Hills  to  the 
Rocky  Mountain",  including  a  part  of  their  lofty  ranges,  and 
embracing  many  of  the  plains  and  valleys  watered  by  the 
Wind  River,  the  Yellowstone,  the  Powder  River,  the  Little 
Missouri,  and  the  Nebraska.  The  country  varies  in  soil  and 
climate ;  there  are  vast  plains  of  sand  and  clay,  studded  with 
large  red  sand-hills;  other  parts  are  mountainous  and  pictu- 
I'esque ;  it  possesses  warm  springs,  and  coal  mines,  and  abounds 
with  game. 

But  let  us  give  the  account  of  the  country  as  rendered  by 
Arnpooish,  a  Cr^w  chief,  to  Mr.  Robert  Campbell,  of  the 
Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company. 

''The  Crow  country,"  said  he,  **is  a  good  country.  The 
Great  Spirit  has  put  it  exactly  in  the  right  place ;  while  you 
are  in  it  you  fare  well ;  whenever  you  go  out  of  it,  whichever 
way  you  travel,  you  fare  worse. 

"If  you  go  to  the  south  you  have  to  wander  over  great 
barren  plains ;  the  water  is  warm  and  bad,  and  you  meet  the 
fever  and  ague. 

"To  the  north  it  is  cold;  the  winters  are  long  and  bitter, 


it  s 


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136 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


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with  no  grass;  you  cannot  keep  horses  there,  but  must  travel 
with  dogs.     What  is  a  country  without  horses? 

"  On  the  Columbia  they  are  poor  and  dirty,  paddle  about  in 
canoes,  and  eat  fish.  Their  teeth  are  worn  out;  they  are  al- 
ways taking  fish-bones  out  of  their  mouths.     Fish  is  poor  food. 

"  To  the  east,  they  dwell  in  villages;  they  live  well ;  but  they 
drink  the  muddy  water  of  the  Missouri— that  is  bad.  A 
Crow's  dog  would  not  drink  such  water. 

"About  the  forks  of  the  Missouri  is  a  fine  country;  good 
water;  good  grass;  plenty  of  buffalo.  In  summer,  it  is  almost 
as  good  as  the  Crow  country;  but  in  winter  it  is  cold;  the 
grass  is  gone ;  and  there  is  no  salt  weed  for  the  horses. 

"The  Crow  country  is  exactly  in  the  right  place.  It  has 
snowy  mounta.  h  and  sunny  plains;  all  kinds  of  climates 
and  good  things  very  season.    When  the  summer  heats 

scorch  the  prairies,  ^  ou  can  draw  up  under  the  mountainsi 
where  the  air  is  sweet  and  cool,  the  grass  fresh,  and  the  bright 
streams  come  timabling  out  of  the  snow-banks.  There  you 
can  hunt  the  elk,  the  deer,  and  the  antelope,  when  their  skins 
are  fit  for  dressing ;  there  you  will  find  plenty  of  white  bears 
and  moimtain  sheep. 

'*  In  the  autunm,  when  your  horses  are  fat  and  strong  from 
the  mountain  pastures,  you  can  go  down  into  the  plains  and 
hunt  the  bufl!alo,  or  trap  beaver  on  the  streams.  And  when 
winter  comes  on,  you  can  take  shelter  in  the  woody  bottoms 
along  the  rivers ;  there  you  will  find  buffalo  meat  for  your- 
selves, and  cotton- wood  bark  for  your  hoi*ses;  or  you  may 
winter  in  the  Wind  River  valley,  where  there  is  salt  weed  in 
abundance. 

"  The  Crow  country  is  exactly  in  the  right  place.  Every- 
thing good  is  to  be  found  there.  There  is  no  country  like  the 
Crow  country." 

Such  is  the  eulogium  on  his  country  by  Arapooish. 

We  have  had  repeated  occasions  to  speak  of  the  restless  and 
predatory  habits  of  the  Crows.  They  can  muster  fifteen  hun- 
dred fighting  men ;  but  their  incessant  wars  with  the  Black- 
feet,  and  their  vagabond,  predatory  habits,  are  gradually 
wearing  them  out. 

In  a  recent  work,  we  related  the  circumstance  of  a  white 
man  named  Rose,  an  outlaw,  and  a  designing  vagabond,  who 
acted  as  guide  and  interpreter  to  Mr.  Hunt  and  his  party,  on 
their  journey  across  the  mountains  to  Astoria,  who  came  near 
betraying  them  into  the  hands  of  the  Crows,  and  who  re- 


ksiaw>^^ 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


137 


mained  among  the  tribe,  marrying  one  of  their  women,  and 
adopting  their  congenial  habits.*  A  few  anecdotes  of  the  sub' 
sequent  fortunes  of  that  renegade  may  not  be  uninteresting, 
especially  as  they  are  connected  with  the  fortunes  of  the 
l.ibe. 

Rose  was  powerful  in  frame  and  fearless  in  spirit ;  and  soon 
by  his  daring  deeds  took  his  rank  among  the  first  braves  of 
the  tribe.  He  aspired  to  command,  and  knew  it  was  only  to 
be  attained  by  desperate  exploits.  He  distinguished  himself  in 
repeated  actions  with  Blackfeet.  On  one  occasion,  a  band  of 
those  savages  had  fortified  themselves  within  a  breastwork, 
and  could  not  be  harmed.  Rose  proposed  to  storm  the  work. 
"Who  will  take  the  lead?"  was  the  demand.  "I!"  cried  he; 
and  putting  himself  at  their  head,  rushed  forward.  The  first 
Blackfoot  that  opposed  him  he  shot  down  with  his  rifle,  and 
snatching  up  the  war-club  of  his  victim  killed  four  others 
within  the  fort.  The  victory  was  complete,  and  Rose  returned 
to  the  Crow  village  covered  with  glory,  and  bearing  five  Black- 
foot  scalps,  to  be  erected  as  a  trophy  before  his  lodge.  From 
this  time  h^  was  known  among  the  Crows  by  the  name 
of  Che-ku-kaats,  or  **  the  man  who  killed  five."  He  became 
chief  of  the  village,  or  rather  band,  and  for  a  time  was  the 
popular  idol.  His  popularity  soon  awakened  envy  among  the 
native  braves;  he  was  a  stranger,  an  intruder;  a  white  man. 
A  party  seceded  from  hig  command.  Feuds  and  civil  wars 
succeeded  that  lasted  for  two  or  three  years,  until  Rose,  hav- 
ing contrived  to  set  his  adopted  brethren  by  the  ears,  left 
them,  and  went  down  the  Missouri  in  1823  Here  he  fell  in 
with  one  of  the  earliest  trapping  expeditions  sent  by  General 
Ashley  across  the  mountaips.  It  was  conducted  by  Smith, 
Fitzpatrick,  and  Sublette.  Rose  enlisted  with  them  as  guide 
and  interpreter.  When  he  got  them  among  the  Crows,  he 
was  exceedingly  generous  with  their  goods ;  making  presents 
to  the  braves  of  his  adopted  tribe,  as  became  a  high-minded 
chief. 

Thi«  doubtless,  helped  to  revive  his  popularity.  In  that  ex- 
pedition. Smith  and  Fitzpatrick  were  robbed  of  their  horses  in 
Green  River  valley;  the  place  where  the  robbery  took  place 
still  bears  the  name  of  Horse  Creek.  We  are  not  informed 
whether  the  horses  were  stolen  through  the  instigatir  and 
management  of  Rose;  it  is  not  improbable,  for  such  wiis  the 

■■  I  11  — ' 

*  See  AKto»-la. 


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i'      I 


138 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


m  t 


perfidy  he  had  intended  to  practise  on  a  former  occasion 
toward  Mr.  Hunt  and  his  party. 

The  last  anecdote  we  have  of  Rose  is  from  an  Indian  trader. 
When  General  Atkinson  made  his  military  expedition  up  the 
Missouri,  in  1825,  to  protect  the  fur  trade,  he  held  a  conference 
with  the  Crow  nation,  at  which  Rose  figured  as  Indian  dig- 
nitar'^  and  Crow  interpreter.  The  military  were  stationed  at 
some  little  distance  from  the  scene  of  the  "big  talk."  While 
the  general  and  the  chiefs  were  smoking  pipes  and  making 
speeches,  the  officers,  supposing  all  was  friendly,  left  the 
troops  and  drew  near  the  scene  oi  ceremonial.  Some  of  the 
more  knowing  Crows,  perceiving  this,  stole  quietly  to  the 
camp,  and,  unobserved,  contrived  to  stop  the  touch-holes  of 
the  field  pieces  with  dirt.  Shortly  after  a  misunderstanding 
occurred  in  the  conference ;  some  of  the  Indians  knowing  the 
cannon  to  be  useless,  became  insolent.  A  tumult  arose.  In 
the  confusion  Colonel  O'Fallan  snapped  a  pistol  in  the  face  of 
a  brave,  and  knocked  him  down  with  the  butt  end.  The 
Crows  were  all  in  a  fury.  A  chance  medley  fight  was  on  the 
point  of  taking  place,  when  Rose,  his  natural  sympathies  as  a 
white  man  suddenly  recurring,  broke  the  stock  of  his  fusee 
over  the  head  of  a  Crow  warrior,  and  laid  so  vigorously  about 
him  with  the  barrel,  that  he  soon  put  the  whole  throng  to 
flight.  Luckily,  as  no  lives  had  been  lost,  this  sturdy  rib- 
roasting  calmed  the  fury  of  the  Crows,  and  the  tumult  erded 
without  serious  consequences. 

What  was  the  ultimate  fate  of  this  vagabond  hero  is  not 
distinctly  known.  Some  report  him  to  have  fallen  a  victim  to 
disease,  brought  on  by  his  licentious  life ;  others  assert  that  he 
was  murdered  in  a  feud  among  the  Crows.  After  all,  his  resi- 
dence among  these  savages,  and  the  influence  he  acquired  over 
them  had,  for  a  time,  some  beneficial  effects.  He  is  said,  not 
merely  to  have  rendered  them  more  formidable  to  the  Black- 
feet,  but  to  have  opened  their  eyes  to  the  pohcy  of  cultivating 
the  friendship  of  the  white  men. 

After  Rose's  death,  his  policy  continued  to  be  cultivated, 
with  indifferent  success,  by  Arapooish,  the  chief  already  men- 
tioned, who  had  been  his  great  friend,  and  whoso  character  he 
had  contributed  to  develope.  This  sagacious  chief  endeavored, 
on  every  occasion,  to  restrain  the  predatory  propensities  of  his 
tribe  when  directed  against  the  white  men.  "If  we  keep 
friends  with  them,"  said  ho,  "we  have  nothing  to  fear  from 
the  Blackfeet,  and  can  rule  the  mountains."    Arapooish  pre- 


■  '      1 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


139 


tended  to  be  a  g^*eat  "  medicine  man;"  a  character  among  the 
Indians  which  is  a  compound  of  priest,  doctor,  prophet,  and 
conjurer.  He  carried  about  with  him  a  tamo  eagle,  as  his 
"medicine,"  or  familiar.  With  the  white  men,  he  acknowl- 
edged that  this  was  all  charlatanism ;  but  said  it  was  necessary, 
to  give  him  weight  and  influence  among  his  people. 

Mr.  Robert  Campbell,  from  whom  we  have  most  of  these 
facts,  in  the  course  of  one  of  his  trapping  expeditions,  was 
quartered  in  the  village  of  Arapooish,  and  a  guest  in  the  lodge 
of  the  chieftain.  He  had  collected  a  large  quantity  of  furs, 
and,  fearful  of  being  plundered,  deposited  but  a  part  in  the 
lodge  of  the  chief ;  the  rest  he  buried  in  a  cache.  One  night, 
Arapooish  came  into  the  lodge  with  a  cloudy  brow,  and  seated 
himself  for  a  time  without  saying  a  word.  At  length,  turning 
to  Campbell,  "  You  have  more  furs  with  you,"  said  he,  "  than 
you  have  brought  into  my  lodge?" 

"I  have,"  replied  Campbell. 

"Where  are  they?" 

Campbell  knew  the  uselessness  of  any  prevarication  with  an 
Indian;  and  the  importance  of  complete  frankness.  He  de- 
scribed the  exact  place  where  he  had  concealed  his  peltries. 

'"TisweU,"  replied  Arapooish;  "you  speak  straight.  It  is 
just  as  you  say.  But  your  cache  has  been  robbed.  Go  and 
see  how  many  skins  have  been  taken  from  it." 

Campbell  examined  the  cache,  and  estimated  his  loss  to  be 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  beaver  skins.  Arapooish  now 
summoned  a  meeting  of  the  village.  He  bitterly  reproached 
his  people  for  robbing  a  stranger  who  had  confided  to  their 
honor;  and  commanded  that  whoever  had  taken  the  skins, 
should  bring  them  back ;  declaring  that,  as  Campbell  was  his 
guest  and  inmate  of  his  lodge,  he  would  not  eat  nor  drink  until 
every  skin  was  restored  to  him. 

The  meeting  broke  up,  and  every  one  dispersed.  Arapooish 
now  charged  Campbell  to  give  neither  reward  nor  thanks  to 
any  one  who  s^iould  bring  in  the  beaver  skins,  but  to  keep 
count  as  they  were  delivered. 

In  a  little  while  the  skins  began  to  make  their  appearance,  a 
few  at  a  time ;  they  were  laid  down  in  the  lodge,  and  those 
who  brought  them  departed  without  saying  a  word.  The  day 
passed  away.  Arapooish  sat  in  one  corner  of  his  lodge, 
wrapped  up  in  his  robe,  scarcely  moving  a  muscle  of  his  coun- 
tenance. When  night  arrived,  ho  demanded  if  all  the  skins  had 
been  brought  in.    Above  a  hundred  had  been  given  up,  and 


P  ' 


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140 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


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Campbell  expressed  himself  contented.  Not  so  the  Crow  chief- 
tain. He  fasted  all  that  night,  nor  tasted  a  drop  of  water.  In 
the  morning  some  more  skins  were  brought  in,  and  continued 
to  come,  one  and  two  at  a  time,  throughout  the  day ;  until  but 
a  few  were  wanting  to  make  the  number  complete.  Campbell 
was  now  anxious  to  put  an  end  to  this  fasting  of  the  old  chief, 
and  again  declared  that  he  was  perfectly  satisfied.  Arapooish 
demanded  what  number  of  skins  were  yot  wanting.  On  being 
told,  he  whispered  to  some  of  his  people,  who  disappeared. 
After  a  time  the  number  were  brought  in,  though  it  was  evi- 
dent they  were  not  any  of  the  skins  that  had  been  stolen,  but 
others  gleaned  in  the  village. 

"  Is  all  right  now'^"  demanded  Arapooish. 

**A11  is  right,"  replied  Campbell. 

' '  Good !    Now  bring  me  meat  and  drink !" 

When  they  were  alone  together,  Arapooish  had  a  conversa- 
tion with  his  guest. 

"When  you  come  another  time  among  the  Crows,"  said  he, 
"  don't  hide  your  goods ;  trust  to  them  and  they  will  not  wrong 
you.  Put  your  goods  ui  the  lodge  of  a  chief,  and  they  are 
sacred ;  hide  them  in  a  cache,  and  any  one  who  finds  will  steal 
them.  My  people  have  now  given  up  your  goods  for  my  sake ; 
but  there  are  some  foolish  young  men  in  the  village  who  may 
be  disposed  to  be  troublesome.  Don't  linger,  therefore,  but 
pack  your  horses  and  be  off." 

Campbell  took  his  advice,  and  made  his  way  safely  out  of  the 
Crow  country.  He  has  ever  since  maintained  that  the  Crows 
are  not  so  black  as  they  are  painted.  "Trust  to  their  honor," 
says  he,  "and  you  are  safe;  trust  to  their  honesty,  and  they 
wOl  steal  the  hair  off  your  head." 

Having  given  these  few  preliminary  particulars,  we  will  re- 
sume the  course  of  our  narrative. 


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ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE.         141 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

DEPARTURE  FROM  GREEN  RIVER  VALLEY — POPO  AGIE— ITS  COURSE 
—THE  RIVERS  INTO  WHICH  IT  RUNS— SCENERY  OF  THE  BLUFFS 
—THE  GREAT  TAR  SPRING— VOLCANIC  TRACTS  IN  THE  CROW 
COUNTRY — BURNING  MOUNTAIN  OF  POWDER  RIVER— SULPHUR 
SPRINGS— HIDDEN  FIRES —COLTER'S  HELL— WIND  RIVER— CAMP- 
BELL'S PARTY  —  FITZPATRICK  AND  HIS  TRAPPERS  —  CAPTAIN 
STEWART,  AN  AMATEUR  TRAVELLER  —  NATHANIEL  WYETH  — 
ANECDOTES  OF  HIS  EXPEDITION  TO  THE  FAR  WEST— DISASTER 
OF  CAMPBELL'S  PARTY— A  UNION  OF  BANDS — THE  BAD  PASS — 
THE  RAPIDS— DEPARTURE  OF  FITZPATRICK— EMBARKATION  OF 
PELTRIES— WYETH  AND  HIS  BULL  BOAT — ADVENTURES  OF  CAP- 
TAIN BONNEVILLE  IN  THE  BIGHORN  MOUNTAINS— ADVENTURES 
IN  THE  PLAIN— TRACES  OF  INDIANS — TRAVELLING  PRECAUTIONS 
—DANGERS  OF  MAKING  A  SMOKE— THE  RENDEZVOUS. 

On  the  25th  of  July  Captain  Bonneville  struck  his  tents,  and 
set  out  on  his  route  for  the  Bighorn,  at  the  head  of  a  party  of 
fifty-six  men,  including  those  who  were  to  embark  with  Cerr6. 
Crossing  the  Green  River  valley,  he  proceeded  along  the  south 
point  of  the  Wind  River  range  of  mountains,  and  soon  fell 
upon  the  track  of  Mr,  Robert  Campbell's  party,  which  had  pre- 
ceded hic':  by  a  day.  This  he  pursued,  unt^^  lie  perceived  that 
it  led  down  the  banks  of  the  Sweet  Water  to  the  southeast. 
As  this  was  different  from  his  proposed  direction,  he  left  it; 
and  turning  to  the  northeast,  soon  came  upon  the  waters  of  the 
Popo  Agie.  This  stream  takes  its  rise  in  the  Wind  River 
Mountains.  Its  name,  Uke  most  Indian  names,  is  characteris- 
tic. Popo^  in  the  Crow  language  signifying  head ;  and  Agie, 
river.  It  is  the  head  of  a  long  river,  extending  from  the  south 
end  of  the  Wind  River  Mountain "  in  a  northeast  direction, 
until  it  falls  into  the  Yellowstone.  Its  course  is  generally 
through  plains,  but  is  twice  crossed  by  chains  of  mountains ; 
the  first  called  the  Littlehorn,  the  second  the  Bighorn.  After 
it  has  forced  its  way  through  the  first  chain,  it  is  called  the 
Horn  River.  After  the  second  chain  it  is  called  the  Bighorn 
River.  Its  passage  through  this  last  chain  is  rough  and  vio- 
lent; making  repeated  falls,  and  rushing  down  long  and  furious 


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142        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAiy  BONJSEVILLE. 

rapids,  which  threaten  destruction  to  the  navigator ;  though  a 
hardy  trapper  is  said  to  have  shot  down  them  in  a  canoe.  At 
the  foot  of  these  rapids,  is  the  head  of  navigation,  where  it  was 
the  intention  of  the  parties  to  construct  boats,  and  embark. 

Proceeding  down  along  the  Popo  Agie,  Captain  Bonnevillo 
came  again  in  full  view  of  the  "  Bluffs,"  as  they  are  called,  ex- 
tending from  the  base  of  the  Wind  Eiver  Mountains  far  away 
to  the  east,  and  presenting  to  the  eye  a  confusion  of  hills  and 
cUfIs  of  red  sandstone,  some  peaked  and  angular,  some  round, 
some  broken  into  crags  and  precipices,  and  piled  up  in  fantas- 
tic masses ;  but  all  naked  and  sterile.  There  appeared  to  be  no 
soil  favorable  to  vegetation,  nothing  but  coarse  gravel;  yet, 
over  all  this  isolated,  barren  landscape,  were  diffused  such  at- 
mospherical tints  and  hues,  as  to  blend  the  whole  into  har- 
mony and  beauty. 

In  this  neighborhood,  the  captain  made  search  for  "the 
great  Tar  Spring,"  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  mountains;  the 
medicinal  properties  of  which,  he  had  heard  extravagantly 
lauded  by  the  trappers.  After  a  toilsome  search,  he  found  it 
at  the  foot  of  a  sand-bluff,  a  little  to  the  east  of  the  Wind 
River  Mountains;  where  it  exuded  in  a  small  stream  of  the 
color  and  consistency  of  tar.  The  men  immediately  hastened 
to  collect  a  quantity  of  it,  to  use  as  an  ointment  for  the  galled 
backs  of  their  horses,  and  as  a  balsam  for  their  own  pains  and 
aches.  From  th«  description  given  of  it,  it  is  evidently  the 
bituminous  oil,  called  petroleum  or  naphtha,  which  forms  a 
principal  ingredient  in  the  potent  medicine  called  British  Oil. 
It  is  found  in  various  parts  of  Europe  and  Asia,  in  several  of 
the  West  India  islands,  and  in  some  places  of  the  United 
States.  In  the  State  of  New  York,  it  is  called  Seneca  Oil,  from 
being  found  near  the  Seneca  lake. 

The  Crow  country  has  other  natural  curiosities,  which  are 
held  in  superstitious  awe  by  the  Indians,  and  (lonsidered  great 
marvels  by  the  trappers.  Such  is  the  Bumin.;  Mountain,  on 
Powder  River,  abounding  with  anthracite  coal.  Here  the 
earth  is  hot  and  cracked ;  in  many  places  emitvmg  smoke  and 
sulphurouT  vapors,  as  if  covering  concealed  fires.  A  volcanic 
tract  of  s  inilar  character  is  found  on  Stinking  River,  one  of  the 
tributarifcs  of  the  Bighorn,  which  takes  its  unhappy  name  from 
the  odor  derived  from  sulphurous  springs  and  streams.  This 
last  mentioned  place  was  first  discovered  by  Colter,  a  himter 
belonging  to  Lewis  and  Clarke's  exploring  party,  who  came 
upon  it  in  the  course  of  his  lonely  wanderings,  and  gave  such 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


14; 


an  account  of  its  gloomy  terrors,  its  hidden  fires,  smoking  pits, 
noxious  streams,  and  the  all-pervading  "smell  of  brimstone," 
that  it  received,  and  has  ever  since  retained  among  trappei-s, 
the  name  of  "Colter's  Hell!" 

Resuming  his  descent  along  the  left  bank  of  the  Popo  Agie, 
Captain  Bonneville  soon  reached  the  plains ;  where  he  found 
several  large  streams  entering  from  the  west.  Among  theso 
was  Wind  River,  which  gives  its  name  to  the  mountains 
among  which  it  takes  its  rise.  Tliis  is  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant streams  of  the  Crow  country.  The  river  being  much 
swollen.  Captain  Bonneville  halted  at  its  mouth,  and  sent  out 
scouts  to  look  for  a  fording  place.  While  thus  encamped,  he 
beheld  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon  a  long  lino  of  horsemen 
descending  the  slope  of  the  hills  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
Popo  Agie.  His  first  idea  was,  that  they  were  Indians ;  ho 
soon  discovered,  however,  that  they  were  white  men,  and,  by 
the  long  line  of  pack-horses,  ascertained  them  to  be  the  con- 
voy of  Campbell,  which,  having  descended  the  Sweet  Water, 
was  now  on  its  way  to  the  Horn  River. 

The  two  parties  came  together  two  or  three  days  afterward, 
on  the  4th  of  August,  after  having  passed  through  the  gap  of 
the  Littlehorn  Mountain.  In  company  with  Campell's  convoy, 
was  a  trapping  party  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Company,  headed 
by  Fitzpatrick;  who,  after  Campbell's  embarkation  on  the 
Bighorn,  was  to  take  charge  of  all  the  horses,  and  proceed  on 
a  trapping  campaign.  There  were,  moreover,  two  chance 
companions  in  the  rival  camp.  One  was  Captain  Stewart,  of 
the  British  army,  a  gentleman  of  noble  connections,  who  was 
amusing  himself  by  a  wandering  tour  in  the  Far  West ;  in  the 
course  of  which,  he  had  lived  in  hunter's  style ;  accompanying 
various  bands  of  traders,  trappers,  and  Indians ;  and  manifest- 
ing that  relish  for  the  wilderness  that  belongs  to  men  of  game 
spirit. 

The  other  casual  inmate  of  Mr.  Campbell's  camp  was  Mr. 
Nathaniel  Wyeth;  the  self -same  leader  of  the  band  of  New 
England  salmon  fishers,  with  whom  we  parted  company  in  the 
valley  of  Pierre's  Hole,  after  the  battle  with  the  Blackfeet.  •  A 
few  days  after  that  affair,  he  again  set  out  from  the  rendez- 
vous in  company  with  Milton  Sublette  and  his  brigade  of  trap- 
pers. On  his  march,  he  visited  the  battle  ground,  and  pene- 
trated to  the  deserted  fort  of  the  Blackfeet  in  the  midst  of  the 
wood.  It  was  a  dismal  scene.  The  fort  was  strewed  with  the 
mouldering  bodies  of  the  slain;  while  vultures  soared  aloft,  or 


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144        AD  VEIi TUBES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 

sat  brooding  on  the  trees  around;  and  Indian  dogs  howled 
about  the  place,  as  if  bewailing  the  death  of  their  masters. 
Wyeth  travelled  for  a  considerable  distance  to  the  southwest, 
in  company  with  Milton  Sublette,  when  they  separated ;  and 
the  former,  with  eleven  men,  the  remnant  of  his  band,  pushed 
on  for  Snake  River;  kept  down  the  course  of  that  eventful 
stream ;  traversed  the  Blue  Mountains,  trapping  beaver  occa- 
sionally by  the  way,  and  finally,  after  hardships  of  all  kinds, 
arrived  on  the  29th  of  October,  at  Vancouver,  on  the  Colum- 
bia, the  main  factory  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 

He  experienced  hospitable  treatment  at  the  hands  of  the 
agents  of  that  company ;  but  his  men,  heartily  tired  of  wan- 
dering in  the  wilderness,  or  tempted  by  other  prospects,  re- 
fused, for  the  most  part,  to  continue  any  longer  in  his  service. 
Some  set  off  for  the  Sandwich  Islands ;  some  entered  into  other 
employ.  Wyeth  found,  too,  that  a  great  part  of  the  goods  he 
had  brought  with  him  were  unfitted  for  the  Indian  trade;  in  a 
word,  his  expedition,  undertaken  entirely  on  his  own  resources, 
proved  a  failure.  He  lost  everything  invested  in  it,  but  his 
hopes.  These  were  as  strong  as  ever.  He  took  note  of  eve  '- 
thing,  therefore,  that  could  be  of  service  to  him  in  the  fur 
prosecution  of  his  project;  collected  all  the  information  wil..  n 
his  reach,  and  then  set  off,  accompanied  by  merely  two  men, 
on  his  return  journey  across  the  continent.  He  had  got  thus 
far  ''by  hook  and  by  crook,"  a  mode  in  which  a  New  England 
man  can  make  his  way  all  over  the  world,  and  through  all 
kinds  of  difficulties,  and  was  now  bound  for  Boston;  in  full 
confidence  of  being  able  to  form  a  company  for  the  salmon 
fishery  and  fur  trade  of  the  Columbia. 

The  party  of  Mr.  Campbell  had  met  with  a  disaster  in  the 
course  of  their  route  from  the  Sweet  Water.  Three  or  four  of 
the  men,  who  were  reconnoitring  the  country  in  advance  of  tLe 
main  body,  were  visited  one  night  in  their  camp,  by  fifteen  or 
twenty  Shoshonies.  Considering  this  tribe  as  perfectly  friend- 
ly, they  received  them  in  the  most  cordial  and  confiding  man- 
ner. In  the  course  of  the  night,  the  man  on  guard  near  the 
horses  fell  sound  asleep ;  upon  which  a  Shoshonie  shot  him  in 
the  head,  and  nearly  killed  him.  The  savages  then  made  off 
with  the  horses,  leaving  the  rest  of  the  party  to  find  their  way 
to  the  main  body  on  foot. 

The  rival  companies  of  Captain  Bonneville  and  Mr.  Camp- 
bell, thus  fortuitously  brought  together,  now  prosecuted  tl^?*" 
journey  in  great  good  fellowship;  forming  a  joint  camp  of 


IsiMh.^. 


ADV&irrUBES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE-        145 


about  a  hundred  men.  The  captain,  however,  began  to  enter- 
tain doubts  that  Fitzpatrick  and  his  trappers,  who  kept  pro- 
found silence  as  to  their  future  movements,  intended  to  hunt 
the  same  grounds  which  he  had  selected  for  his  autumnal  cam- 
paign; which  lay  to  the  west  of  the  Horn  River,  on  its  tributary 
streams.  In  the  course  of  his  march,  therefore,  ho  secretly  de- 
tached  a  small  party  of  trappers,  to  make  their  way  to  those 
hunting  grounds,  while  he  continued  on  with  the  main  body ; 
appointing  a  rendezvous  at  the  next  full  moon,  about  the  28th 
of  August,  at  a  place  called  the  Medicine  Lodge. 

On  reaching  the  second  chain,  called  the  Bighorn  Mountains, 
whe:  the  river  forced  its  impetuous  way  through  a  precipi- 
tous defile,  with  cascades  and  rapids,  the  travellers  were 
obliged  to  leave  its  banks,  and  traverse  the  mountains  by  a 
rugged  and  frightful  route  emphatically  called  the  "  Bad  Pass." 
Descending  the  opposite  side,  they  again  made  for  the  river 
banks;  and  about  the  middle  of  August,  reached  the  point 
below  the  rapids,  where  the  river  becomes  navigable  for  boats. 
Here  Captain  Bonneville  detache(^  a  second  party  of  trappers, 
consisting  of  ten  men,  to  seek  and  join  those  whom  he  had  de- 
tached while  on  the  route,  appointing  for  them  the  same  ren- 
dezvous (at  the  Medicine  Lodge),  on  the  28th  of  August. 

All  hands  now  set  to  work  to  construct  "bull  boats,"  as  they 
are  technically  called ;  a  light,  fragile  kind  of  bark,  cHaracter- 
istic  of  the  expedients  and  inventions  of  the  wilderness ;  being 
formed  of  buffalo  skins,  stretched  on  frames.  They  are  some- 
times, also,  called  skin  boats.  Wyeth  was  the  first  ready ;  and, 
with  his  usual  promptness  and  hardihood  launched  his  frail 
bark  singly,  on  this  wild  and  hazardous  voyage,  down  an 
almost  interminable  succession  of  rivers,  winding  through 
countries  teeming  with  savage  hordes.  Milton  Sublette,  his 
former  fellow  traveller,  and  his  companion  in  the  battle  scenes 
of  P*ierre's  Hole,  took  passage  in  his  boat.  His  crew  consisted 
of  two  white  men,  and  two  Indians.  We  shall  hear  further  of 
Wyeth,  and  his  wild  voyage  in  the  course  of  our  wanderings 
about  the  Far  West. 

The  remaining  parties  soon  completed  their  several  arma- 
ments. That  of  Captain  Bonneville  was  composed  of  three  bull 
boats,  in  which  he  embarked  all  his  peltries,  giving  them  in 
charge  of  Mr.  CeiTe,  with  a  party  of  thirty-six  men.  Mr.  Camp- 
bell took  command  cf  his  own  boats,  and  the  little  squadrons 
v^*^re  soon  gliding  down  the  bright  current  of  the  Bighorn. 

The  secret  precautions  which  Captain  Bonneville  had  taken 


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ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


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to  throw  his  men  first  into  the  trapping  ground  west  c.i  the 
Bighorn,  were,  probably,  superfluous.  It  did  not  appear  that 
Fitzpatrick  had  intended  to  hunt  in  that  direction.  The  mo- 
ment Mr.  Campbell  and  his  men  embarked  with  the  peltries 
Fitzpatrick  took  charge  of  all  the  horses,  amounting  to  above 
a  hundred,  and  struck  oflC  to  the  east,  to  trap  upon  Littlehorn, 
Powder  ond  Tongue  Rivers.  He  was  accompanied  by  Captain 
Stewart,  who  was  desirous  ot  having  a  range  about  the  Crow 
country.  Of  the  adventures  they  met  with  in  that  region  of 
vagabonds  and  horse  stealers,  we  shall  have  something  to  re- 
late hereafter. 

Captain  Bonneville  being  now  left  to  prosecute  his  trapping 
campaign  without  rivalry,  set  out,  on  the  17th  of  August,  for 
the  rendezvous  at  Medicine  Lodge.  He  had  but  four  men  re- 
maining with  him,  and  forty-six  horses  to  take  care  of;  with 
these  he  had  to  make  his  way  over  mountain  and  plain,  through 
a  marauding,  horse-scealing  rcfHon,  full  of  peril  for  a  numerous 
cavalcade  fo  slightly  manned.  He  addressed  himself  to  his 
difficult  journey,  however,  with  his  usual  alacrity  of  spirit. 

In  the  afternoon  of  his  first  day's  journey,  on  drawing  near 
to  the  Bighorn  Mountain,  on  the  sunnnit  of  which  he  intended 
to  encamp  for  the  night,  he  obsei-vcd,  to  his  disquiet,  a  cloud 
of  smoke  rising  from  its  base.  He  came  to  a  halt,  and  watched 
it  anxiously.  It  was  very  irregular ;  sometimes  it  would  almost 
die  away ;  and  then  would  mount  up  in  heavy  volumes.  There 
WLis,  apparently;  ti  large  party  encamped  there ;  probably,  some 
i-ufflan  horde  of  Blackfeet.  At  any  rate,  it  would  not  do  for  so 
small  a  number  of  men,  with  so  numerous  a  cavalcade,  to  ven- 
ture within  sight  of  any  wandering  tribe.  Captnin  Bonne- 
ville and  his  companions,  therefore,  avoided  this  dangerous 
neighborhood;  and,  proceeding  with  extreme  caution,  reached 
the  sirmmit  of  the  mountain,  apparently  without  being  discov- 
er(>("i.  Here  they  found  a  deserted  Blackfoot  fort,  in  whicli 
tliey  ensconced  ^l-'omselves;  disposed  of  everything  as  securely 
as  possible,  and  passed  the  night  without  molestation.  Pearly 
the  next  morning  they  descended  the  south  side  of  the  moun- 
tain into  the  great  plain  extending  between  it  and  the  Little- 
h(3rn  range.  Hero  they  soon  came  upon  numerous  footprints, 
and  the  cai'casses  of  buffaloes;  by  which  they  knew  there 
must  bo  Indians  not  far  off.  Captain  Bonneville  now  began  to 
feel  solicitude  about  the  two  small  parties  of  trappers  which  ho 
had  detached,  lest  the  Indians  should  have  come  upon  them 
before  they  had  united  their  forces.    But  ho  felt  still  more 


/kJuM. 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIX  BONNEVILLE.         147 

solicitude  about  his  own  party ;  for  it  Avas  hardly  to  be  expected 
he  could  traverse  these  naked  plains  undiscovered,  when  In- 
dians were  abroad;  and  should  he  be  discovered,  his  chance 
would  be  a  desperate  one.  Everything  now  depended  upon 
the  greatest  circumspection.  It  was  dangerous  to  discharge  a 
gun  or  light  a  fire,  or  make  the  least  noise,  where  such  quick- 
eared  and  quick-sightod  enemies  were  at  hand.  In  the  course 
of  the  day  they  saw  indubitable  signs  that  the  buffalo  had  been 
roaming  there  in  great  numbers,  and  had  recently  been  fright- 
ened away.  That  night  they  encamped  with  the  greatest  care ; 
and  threw  up  a  strong  breastwork  for  their  protection. 

For  the  two  succeeding  days  they  pressed  forward  rapidly, 
but  cautiously,  across  the  great  plain;  fording  the  tributaiy 
streams  of  the  Horn  River;  encamping  one  night  among 
thickets;  the  next,  on  an  island;  meeting,  repeatedly,  with 
traces  of  Indians;  and  now  and  then,  in  passing  through  a 
defile  experiencing  alarms  that  induced  then!  to  kjoc^  their 
rifles. 

On  the  last  day  of  their  march  hunger  got  the  better  of  their 
caution,  and  they  shot  a  fine  buffalo  bull  at  the  risk  of  being 
betrayed  by  the  report.  They  did  not  halt  to  make  a  meal, 
but  carried  the  meat  on  with  them  to  the  place  of  rendezvous, 
tlie  Medicine  Lodge,  where  they  arrived  safel^,  in  the  evening, 
celebrated  their  airival  by  a  hearty  supper. 

The  next  morning  they  erected  a  strong  pen  for  the  horses, 
and  a  fortress  of  logs  for  themselves;  and  continued  to  observe 
the  greatest  caution.  Their  cooking  was  all  done  at  mid-day, 
when  the  fire  makes  ^jo  glni-o,  and  a  moderate  smoke  cannot 
be  perceived  at  any  great  distance.  In  the  morning  and  the 
evening  when  the  wind  is  lulled,  the  smoke  rises  perpendicu- 
larly in  a  blue  column,  or  floats  in  lij^ht  clouds  above  the  tree- 
tops,  and  can  be  discovered  from  af?r. 

In  this  way  the  little  party  remained  for  several  days,  cau- 
tiously encamped,  until,  on  the  29th  of  August,  the  two  detach- 
monts  they  had  been  expecting,  arrived  together  at  the  ren- 
dezvous. They,  as  usual,  had  their  several  tales  of  adventures 
to  relate  to  the  captain,  which  we  will  furnish  to  the  reader  in 
the  next  chapter. 


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148        ADVENTUUES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE, 


2 


11 


a 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

ADVENTURES  OF  THE  PARTY  OF  TEN— THE  BALAAMITE  MULE—A 
DEAD  POINT— THE  MYSTERIOUS  ELKS— A  NIGHT  ATTACK— A  RE- 
TREAT-TRAVELLING UNDER  AN  ALARM— A  JOYFUL  MEETING- 
ADVENTURES  OF  THE  OTHER  PARTY — A  DECOY  ELK — RETREAT 
TO  AN  ISLAND— A  SAVAGE  DANCE  OF  TRIUMPH— ARRIVAL  AT 
WIND  RIVER. 

The  adventures  of  the  detachment  of  ten  are  the  first  in 
order.  These  trappers,  when  they  separated  from  Captain 
Bonneville  at  the  place  where  the  furs  were  embarked,  pro- 
ceeded to  the  foot  of  the  Bighorn  Mountain,  and  having  en- 
camped, one  of  them  mounted  his  mule  and  went  out  to  set  his 
trap  in  a  neighboring  stream.  He  had  not  proceeded  far  when 
his  steed  came  to  a  full  stop.  The  trapper  kicked  and  cud- 
.  gelled,  but  to  every  blow  and  kick  the  mule  snorted  and  kicked 
up,  but  still  refused  to  budge  an  inch.  The  rider  now  cast  his 
eyes  warily  around  in  search  of  some  cause  for  this  demur, 
when,  to  his  dismay,  iie  discovered  an  Indian  fort  within  gun- 
shot distance,  lowering  through  the  twilight.  In  a  twinkling 
he  wheeled  about ;  his  mule  now  seemed  as  eager  to  get  on  as 
himself,  and  in  a  few  moments  brought  him,  clattering  with 
his  traps,  among  his  comrades.  He  ^was  jeered  at  for  his 
alacrity  in  retreating;  his  report  was  treated  as  a  false  alarm; 
his  brother  trappers  contented  themselves  with  reconnoitring 
the  fort  at  a  distance,  and  pronounced  that  it  was  deserted. 

As  night  sot  in,  the  usual  precaution,  enjoined  by  Captain 
Bonneville  on  his  men  was  observed.  The  horses  were  brought 
in  and  tied,  and  a  guard  stationed  over  them.  This  done,  the 
men  wrapped  themselves  in  their  blankets,  stretched  them- 
selves before  the  fire,  and  being  fatigued  with  a  long  day's 
march,  and  gorged  with  a  hearty  supper,  were  soon  in  a  pro- 
found sleep. 

The  camp  fires  gradually  died  away ;  all  was  dark  and  silent ; 
the  sentinel  stationed  to  watch  the  horses  had  marched  as  far, 
and  supped  as  heartily  as  any  of  his  companions,  and  while 
they  snored,  he  began  to  nod  at  his  post.  After  a  time,  a  low 
trampling  noise  reached  his  ear.    He  half  opened  his  closing 


•!: 


Wlsjmm,,. 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


149 


eyes,  and  beheld  two  or  three  elks  moving  about  the  lodges, 
picking,  end  smelling,  and  grazing  here  and  there.  The  sight 
of  elk  within  the  purlieus  of  the  camp  caused  some  little  sur- 
prise ;  but,  having  had  his  supper,  he  cared  not  for  elk  meat, 
and,  suffering  them  to  graze  about  unmolested,  soon  relapsed 
into  a  doze. 

Suddenly,  before  daybreak,  a  discharge  of  firearms,  and  a 
struggle  and  tramp  of  horses,  made  every  one  start  to  his  feet. 
The  first  move  was  to  secure  the  horses.  Some  were  gone ; 
others  were  struggling,  and  kicking,  and  trembling,  for  there 
was  a  horrible  uproar  of  whoops,  and  yells,  and  firearms. 
Several  trappers  stole  quietly  from  the  camp,  and  succeeded  in 
driving  in  the  horses  which  had  broken  away ;  the  rest  were 
tcthei'ed  still  more  strongly.  A  breastwork  was  thrown  up  of 
saddles,  baggage,  and  camp  furniture,  and  all  hands  waited 
anxiously  for  daylight.  The  Indians,  in  the  meantime,  col- 
lected on  a  neighboring  height,  kept  up  the  most  horrible  cla- 
mor, in  hopes  of  striking  a  panic  into  the  camp,  or  frightening 
off  the  horses.  When  the  day  dawned,  the  trappers  attacked 
them  briskly  and  drove  them  to  some  distance.  A  desultory 
fire  was  kept  up  for  an  hour,  when  the  Indians,  seeing  nothing 
was  to  be  gained,  gave  up  the  contest  hnd  retired.  They 
proved  to  be  a  war  party  of  Blackfeet,  who,  wliile  in  search  of 
the  Crow  tribe,  had  fallen  upf>n  the  trail  of  Captain  Bonne- 
ville on  the  Popo  Agie,  and  >  d  him  to  the  Bighorn:  but 
had  been  completely  baffled  by  ii.>  .  igilance.  Th(>y  ha<l  Inn 
waylaid  the  present  detachment,  and  w.  .-e  actually  housed  in 
perfect  silence  within  then*  fort,  when  the  niido  of  tL''  trapper 
made  such  a  dead  point. 

The  savages  went  off  uttering  the  wildest  dennnciatious  of 
hostility,  mingled  with  opprobrious  terms  in  broken  English, 
and  gesticulations  of  the  most  insulting  kind. 

In  this  melee,  one  white  man  was  woimded,  and  two  horses 
were  killed.  On  preparing  the  moi'ning's  meal,  lio\-  .ver,  a 
number  of  cups,  knives,  and  other  articles  were  mi  >^,  which 
had,  doubtless,  been  carried  off  by  the  fictitious  elk,  during  the 
slumber  of  the  very  sagacious  sentinel. 

As  the  Indians  had  gone  off  in  the  direction  which  the  trap- 
pers had  intended  to  travel,  the  latter  changed  th(»ir  route,  and 
pushed  forward  rapidly  through  the  "Bad  Pass, "nor  halted 
until  night;  when,  supposing  themselves  out  of  the  reach  of 
the  enemy,  they  contented  themselves  with  tying  up  their 
horees  and  nostinjj  a  guard.    They  had  scarce  laid  down  to 


t  ■• 


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150        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 

sleep,  when  a  dog  strayea  into  the  camp  with  a  small  pack  of 
moccasins  tied  upon  h!s  back ;  for  dogs  are  made  to  carry  bur- 
dens among  the  Indians.  The  sentinel,  more  knowing  than  he 
of  the  preceding  night,  awoke  his  companions  and  reported  the 
circumstance.  It  was  evident  that  Indians  were  at  hand.  All 
were  instantly  at  work ;  a  strong  pen  was  soon  constructed  for 
the  horses,  after  completing  which,  they  resumed  their  slum" 
bers  with  the  composure  of  men  long  inured  to  dangers. 

In  the  nsxt  night,  the  prowling  of  dogs  about  the  camp  and 
various  suspicious  noises  showed  that  Indians  were  still  hover- 
ing about  them.  Hurrying  on  by  long  marches,  they  at  length 
fell  upon  a  trail,  which,  with  the  experienced  eye  of  veteran 
woodmen,  they  soon  discovered  to  be  that  of  the  party  of  trap- 
pers detached  by  Captain  Bonneville  when  on  his  march,  and 
which  they  were  sent  to  join.  They  likewise  ascertained  from 
various  signs  that  this  party  had  suffered  some  maltreatment 
from  the  Indians.  They  now  pursued  the  trail  with  intense 
anxiety;  it  cai'ried  them  to  the  banks  of  the  stream  called 
the  Gray  Bull,  and  down  along  its  course,  until  they  came  to 
where  it  empties  into  the  Horn  River.  Here,  to  their  great  joy, 
they  discovered  the  comrades  of  whom  they  were  in  search,  all 
strongly  fortified,  2ind  in  a  state  of  great  watchf illness  and 
anxiety. 

We  now  take  up  the  adventures  of  this  first  detachment  of 
trappei*s.  These  men,  after  parting  with  the  main  body  under 
Captain  Bonneville,  had  proceeded  slowly  'for  several  days  up 
the  course  of  the  river,  trapping  beaver  as  they  went.  One 
morning,  as  they  were  about  to  visit  their  traps,  one  of  the 
camp  keepers  pointed  to  a  fine  elk,  grazing  at  a  distance,  and 
requested  them  to  shoot  it.  Three  of  the  trappers  started  off 
for  the  purpose.  In  passing  n  thielvi't,  they  were  fired  upon  by 
some  savages  in  ambush,  and  at  tlic  same  time,  the  pretended 
elk,  throwing  off  his  hide  and  his  horn,  started  forth  an  Indian 
warrior. 

One  of  the  three  trappers  had  been  brought  down  by  the 
volley;  the  others  lied  to  the  camp,  and  all  hands,  seizing  up 
whatever  they  could  carry  off,  retreated  to  a  small  island  in 
the  river,  and  took  refuge  among  the  willows.  Here  they 
were  soon  joined  by  their  comrade  who  ha  '  fallen,  but  who 
had  merely  been  wounded  in  the  neck. 

In  the  meantime  the  Indians  took  possessii  n  of  the  deserted 
camp,  with  all  the  traps,  accoutrements,  and  horses.  While 
they  were  busy  among  the  spoils,  a  solitary  trapper,  who  had 


AD VEN TUBES  OP  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


161 


been  absent  at  his  work,  came  sauntering  to  the  camp  with  his 
traps  on  his  back.  He  had  approached  near  by  when  an  In- 
dian came  forward  and  motioned  him  to  keep  away ;  at  the 
same  moment,  ho  was  perceived  by  his  comrndes  on  the  island, 
and  warned  of  his  danger  with  loud  cries.  The  poor  fellow 
stood  for  a  moment,  bewildered  and  aghast,  then  dropping  liis 
traps,  wheeled  and  made  off  at  full  speed,  quickened  by  a 
sportive  volley  which  the  Indians  rattled  after  liun. 

In  high  good  hiunor  with  their  easy  triumph  the  savages 
now  formed  a  circle  round  the  fire  and  performed  a  war  dance, 
with  the  unlucky  trappers  for  rueful  spectators.  This  done, 
omboldened  by  what  they  considered  cowardice  on  the  part  of 
the  white  men,  they  neglected  their  usual  mode  of  bush-fight- 
ing, and  advanced  openly  within  twenty  paces  of  the  willows. 
A  sharp  volley  from  the  trappers  brought  them  to  a  sudden 
halt,  and  laid  three  of  them  breathless.  The  chief,  Avho  had 
stationed  himself  on  an  eminence  to  direct  all  the  movements 
of  his  people,  seeing  three  of  his  warrioi'S  laid  low,  ordered  the 
rest  to  retire.  They  immediately  did  so,  and  the  whole  band 
soon  disappeared  behind  a  pt)int  of  woods,  carrying  off  with 
them  the  horses,  traps,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  baggage. 

It  was  just  after  this  misfortune  that  the  party  of  ten  men 
discovered  this  forlorn  band  of  trappers  in  a  fortress  which 
they  had  thrown  up  after  their  disaster.  They  were  so  per- 
fectly dismayed,  that  they  could  not  be  induced  even  to  go  in 
quest  of  their  traps,  which  they  had  set  in  a  neighboring 
stream.  The  two  parties  now  joined  their  forces,  and  made 
their  way  without  further  misfortune,  to  the  rendezvous. 

Captain  Bonneville  perceived  from  the  reports  of  tliese  par- 
ties, as  well  as  from  what  he  had  observed  himself  in  his  re- 
cent march,  that  ho  was  in  a  neighborhood  teeming  with 
danger.  Two  wandering  Snake  Indians,  also,  who  visited  the 
camp,  assured  him  that  there  were  two  large  bands  of  Crows 
marching  rapidly  upon  him.  He  broke  up  his  encampment, 
therefore,  on  the  first  of  September,  made  his  way  to  the 
south,  across  the  Littlehorn  Mountain,  until  he  reached  Wind 
River,  and  then  turning  westward,  moved  slowly  up  the  banks 
of  that  stream,  giving  time  for  his  men  to  trap  as  he  proceeded. 
As  it  was  not  in  the  plan  of  the  present  hunting  campaign  to 
go  near  the  caches  on  Green  River,  and  as  the  trappers  were 
in  want  of  traps  to  replace  tht)se  they  had  lost,  Captain  Bonne- 
ville undertook  to  visit  the  caches,  and  procure  a  supply.  To 
accompany  him  in  this  hazardous  expedition,  which  would 


n 

1    :■ 

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162 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


■m 


• ,' 


take  him  through  the  defiles  of  the  Wind  River  Mountains, 
and  up  the  Green  River  valley,  he  took  but  three  men ;  the 
main  party  were  to  continue  on  trapping  up  to^^'ard  the  head 
of  Wind  River,  near  which  he  was  to  rejoin  them,  just  about 
the  place  where  that  stream  issues  from  the  mountains.  We 
shall  accompany  the  captain  on  his  adventurous  errand. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE  SETS  OUT  FOR  GREEN  RIVER  VALLEY — 
JOURNEY  UP  THE  POPO  AGIE— BUFFALOES— THE  STARING 
WHITE  BEARS— THE  SMOKE — THE  WARM  SPRINGS— ATTEMPT  TO 
TRAVERSE  THE  WIND  RIVER  MOUNTAINS— THE  GREAT  SLOPE- 
MOUNTAIN  DELLS  AND  CHASMS— CRYSTAL  LAKES— ASCENT  OP 
A  SNOWY  PEAK— SUBLIME  IROSPECT— A  PANORAMA— "  LES 
DIGNES  DE  PITIE,"  OR  WILD  MEN  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

Having  forded  Winu  River  a  little  above  its  mouth,  Captain 
Bonneville  and  his  three  companions  proceeded  across  a  grav- 
elly plain,  until  they  fell  upon  the  Popo  Agie,  up  the  left  bank 
of  which  they  held  their  course,  nearly  in  a  southerly  direc- 
tion. Here  they  came  upon  numerous  droves  of  buffalo,  and 
halted  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  a  supply  of  beef.  As  the 
hunters  were  stealing  cautiously  to  get  within  shot  of  the 
game,  two  small  white  bears  suddenly  presented  tli^mselves 
in  their  path,  and,  rising  upon  their  hind  legs,  contemplated 
them  for  some  time  with  fi  whimsically  solemn  gaze.  The 
hunters  remained  motionless;  whereupon  the  bears,  having 
apparently  satisfied  their  curiosity,  lowered  themselves  upon 
all  fours,  and  began  to  withdraw.  The  hunters  now  advanced, 
upon  which  the  bears  turned,  rose  again  upon  their  haunches, 
and  repeated  their  serio-comic  examination.  This  was  re- 
peated several  times,  until  the  hunters,  piqued  at  their  un- 
mannerly staring,  rebuked  it  with  a  discharge  of  their  rifles. 
The  bears  made  an  awkward  bound  or  two,  as  if  wounded,  and 
then  walked  off  with  great  gravity,  seeming  to  commune  to- 
gether, and  every  now  and  tlien  turning  to  take  another  look 
at  the  hunters.  It  was  well  for  the  latter  that  the  bears  were 
but  half  gro^^^l,  and  had  not  yet  acquired  the  ferocity  of  their 
kind. 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


153 


The  buffalo  were  somewhat  startled  at  the  report  of  the  fire- 
arms; but  the  hunters  succeeded  in  killing  a  couple  of  fine 
cows,  and,  having  secured  the  best  of  the  meat,  continued  for- 
ward until  some  time  after  dark,  when,  encamping  in  a  large 
thicket  of  willows,  they  made  a  great  fire,  roasted  buffalo  beef 
enough  for  half  a  score,  disposed  of  the  whole  of  it  with  keen 
relish  and  high  glee,  and  then  "turned  in"  for  the  night  and 
slept  soundly,  like  weary  and  well-fed  hunters. 

At  daylight  they  were  in  the  saddle  again,  and  skirted  along 
the  river,  passing  through  fresh  grassy  meadows,  and  a  succes- 
sion of  beautiful  groves  of  willows  and  cotton-wood.  Toward 
evening,  Captain  Bonneville  observed  smoke  at  a  distance  ris- 
ing from  among  hills,  directly  in  the  route  he  wfis  pursuing. 
Apprehensive  of  some  hostile  band,  he  concealed  the  horses  in 
a  thicket,  and,  accompanied  by  one  of  his  men,  crawled  cau- 
tiously up  a  height,  from  which  he  could  overlook  the  scene 
of  danger.  Here,  with  a  spy -glass,  he  reconnoitred  the  sur- 
rounding country,  but  not  a  lodge  nor  fire,  not  a  man,  horse, 
nor  dog,  was  to  be  discovered;  in  sb'^i ';,  the  smoke  which  had 
caused  such  alarm  proved  to  be  the  vupor  from  several  warm, 
or  rather  hot  springs  of  considerable  magnitude,  pouring  forth 
streams  in  every  direction  over  a  bottom  of  white  clay.  One 
of  the  springs  was  about  twenty-five  yards  in  diameter,  and  so 
deep  that  the  water  was  of  a  bright  green  color. 

They  were  now  advancing  diagonally  upon  the  chain  of  Wind 
River  Mountains,  which  lay  between  them  and  Green  River 
valley.  To  coast  round  their  southern  points  would  be  a  wide 
circuit;  whereas,  could  they  force  their  way  through  them, 
they  might  proceed  in  a  straight  line.  The  mountains  were 
lofty,  with  snowy  peaks  and  cragged  sides ;  it  was  hoped,  how- 
ever, that  some  practicable  defile  might  be  found.  They  at- 
tempted, accordingly,  to  penetrate  the  mountains  by  following 
up  one  of  the  branches  of  the  Popo  Agie,  but  soon  found  them- 
selves in  the  midst  of  stupendous  crags  and  precipices,  that 
barred  all  progress.  Retracing  their  steps,  and  falling  back 
upon  the  river,  they  consulted  where  to  make  another  attempt. 
They  were  too  close  beneath  the  mountains  to  scan  them  gener- 
ally, but  they  now  recollected  having  noticed,  from  the  plain, 
a  beautiful  slope,  rising  at  an  angle  of  about  thirty  degrees, 
and  apparently  without  any  break,  until  it  reached  the  snowy 
region.  Seeking  this  gentle  acclivity,  they  began  to  ascend  it 
mth  alacrity,  trusting  to  find  at  the  top  one  of  those  elevated 
plains  which  prevail  among  the  Rocky  Mountains.    The  slope 


1!  : 


!■!  'A 


•  Ij 


ill 


154 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


h- 


hii 


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was  covered  with  coarse  gravel,  interspersed  with  plates  of 
freestone.  They  attained  the  summit  with  some  toil,  but 
found,  instead  of  a  level,  or  rather  undulating  plain,  that  they 
were  on  the  brink  of  a  deep  and  nrecipitoua  ravine,  from  the 
bottom  of  which  rose  a  second  slope,  similar  to  the  one  they 
had  just  ascended.  Down  into  this  profound  ravine  they  made 
their  way  by  a  rugged  path,  or  rather  fissure  of  the  rocks,  and 
then  labored  up  the  second  slope.  They  gained  the  summit 
only  to  find  themselves  on  another  ravine,  and  now  perceived 
that  this  vast  mountain,  which  had  presented  such  a  sloping 
and  even  side  to  the  distant  beholder  on  the  plain,  was  shagged 
by  frightful  precipices,  and  seamed  with  longitudinal  chasms, 
deep  and  dangerous. 

In  one  of  these  wild  dells  they  passed  the  night,  and  slept 
soundly  and  sweetly  after  their  fatigues.  Two  days  more  of 
arduous  climbing  and  scrambling  only  served  to  admit  them 
into  the  heart  of  this  mountainous  and  a%vf ul  solitude ;  where 
difficulties  increased  as  they  proceeded.  Sometimes  they 
scrambled  from  rock  to  rock,  up  the  bed  of  some  mountain 
stream,  dashing  its  bright  way  down  to  the  plains ;  sometimes 
they  availed  themselves  of  the  paths  made  by  the  deer  and  the 
mountain  sheep,  which,  however,  often  took  them  to  the  brink 
of  fearful  precipices,  or  led  to  rugged  defiles,  impassable  for 
their  horses.  At  one  place  they  were  obliged  to  sUde  their 
horses  down  the  face  of  a  rock,  in  which  '  'tempt  some  of  the 
poor  animals  lost  their  footing,  rolled  to  the  bottom,  and  came 
near  being  dashed  to  pieces. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day,  the  travellers  attained 
one  of  the  elevated  valleys  locked  up  in  this  singular  bed  of 
mountains.  Here  were  two  bright  and  beautiful  little  lakes, 
set  like  mirrors  in  the  midst  of  stern  and  rocky  heights,  and 
surrounded  by  grassy  meadows,  inexpressibly  refreshing  to 
the  eye.  These  probably  were  among  the  sources  of  those 
mighty  streams  which  take  their  rise  among  these  moun- 
tains, and  wander  hundreds  o:  miles  through  the  plains. 

In  the  green  pastures  bordering  upon  these  lakes,  the  trav- 
ellers halted  to  repose,  and  to  give  their  weary  horses  time 
to  crop  the  sweet  and  tender  herbage.  They  had  now  as- 
scended  to  a  great  height  above  the  level  of  the  plains,  yet 
they  beheld  huge  crags  of  granite  piled  one  upon  another, 
and  beetling  like  battlements  far  above  them.  While  two  of 
the  men  remained  in  the  camp  with  the  horses.  Captain 
Bonneville,  accompanied  by  the  other  men,  det  out  to  climb 


^ 


01 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


155 


a  neighboring  height,  hoping  to  gain  n  commanding  pros- 
pect, and  discern  some  practicable  route  through  this  stu- 
pendous labyrinth.  Atter  much  toil,  he  i-eached  the  sunuiiit 
of  a  lofty  cliff,  but  it  was  only  to  behold  gigantic  peaks  ris- 
ing all  around,  and  towering  far  into  the  ^nowy  regions  of 
the  atmosphere.  Selecting  one  which  appeared  to  be  the 
highest,  he  crossed  a  narrow  intervening  valley,  and  began 
to  scale  it.  He  soon  found  that  he  had  undertaken  a  tre- 
mendous task;  but  the  pride  of  man  is  nevermore  obstinate 
than  when  climbing  mountains.  The  ascent  was  so  steep 
and  rugged  that  he  and  his  companions  were  frequently 
obliged  to  clamber  on  hands  and  knees,  with  their  gims  slung 
upon  their  backs.  Frequently,  exhausted  with  fatigue,  and 
dripping  with  perspiration,  they  threw  themselves  upon  the 
snow,  and  took  handfuls  of  it  to  allay  their  parching  thirst. 
At  one  place  they  even  stripped  off  their  coats  and  hung 
them  upon  the  bushes,  and  thus  hghtly  clad,  proceeded  to 
scramble  over  these  eternal  snows.  As  thoy  ascended  still 
higher,  there  were  cool  breezes  that  refreshed  and  braced 
them,  and  springing  with  new  ardor  to  their  task,  they  at 
length  attained  the  summit. 

Here  a  scene  burst  upon  the  view  of  Captain  Bonneville,  that 
for  a  time  astonished  and  overwhelmed  him  with  its  immensi- 
ty. He  stood,  in  fact,  upon  that  dividing  ridge  which  Indians 
regard  as  the  crest  of  the  world ;  and  on  each  side  of  which 
the  landscape  may  be  said  to  decline  to  the  two  cardinal  oceans 
of  the  globe.  Whichever  way  he  turned  his  eye,  it  was  con- 
founded by  the  vastness  and  variety  of  objects.  Beneath  him, 
the  Rocky  Mountains  seemed  to  open  all  thoir  secret  recesses ; 
deep,  solemn  valleys;  treasured  Lakes;  dreary  passes;  rugged 
defiles  and  foaming  torrents ;  while  beyond  their  savage  pre- 
cincts, the  eye  was  lost  in  an  almost  immeasurable  landscape, 
stretching  on  every  side  into  dim  and  hazy  distance,  like  the 
expanse  of  a  summer's  sea.  Whichever  way  he  looked,  he  be- 
held vast  plains  glimmering  with  reflected  sunshine ;  mighty 
streams  wandering  on  their  shining  course  toward  cither  ocean, 
and  snowy  mountains,  chain  beyond  chain,  and  peak  beyond 
peak,  till  they  melted  like  clouds  into  the  horizon.  For  a  time, 
the  Indian  fable  seemed  realized ;  he  had  attained  that  height 
from  which  the  Blackfoot  warrior,  after  death,  first  catches  a 
view  of  the  land  of  souls,  and  beholds  the  happy  hunting 
grounds  spread  out  below  him,  brightening  with  the  abodes  of 
the  free  and  generous  spirits.    The  captain  stood  for  a  long 


■iM 


'■  ■'  0 


II 


Ijf 


i' 


i'   1  ; 


156         ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


Sl'-'i^ 


m\ 


':i&^ 


while  gating  upon  this  scene,  lost  in  a  crowd  of  vague  and  in- 
definite ideas  and  sensations.  A  long-drawn  inspiration  at 
length  relieved  him  from  this  enthralment  of  the  mind,  and  he 
began  to  analyze  the  parts  of  this  vast  panorama.  A  simple 
enumeration  of  a  few  of  its  features  may  give  some  idea  of  its 
collective  grandeur  and  magnificence. 

The  peak  on  which  the  captain  had  taken  his  stand  com- 
manded the  whole  Wind  River  chain;  which,  in  fact,,  may 
rather  be  considered  one  immense  mountain,  broken  into 
suowy  peaks  and  lateral  spurs,  and  seamed  with  narrow  val- 
'eys.  Some  of  these  valleys  glittered  with  silver  lakes  and 
jjushing  streams ;  *ihe  fountain-heads,  as  it  were,  of  the  mighty 
tributaries  to  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans.  Beyond  the 
snowy  peaks,  to  the  south,  and  far,  far  below  the  mountain 
range,  the  gentle  river,  called  the  Sweet  Water,  was  seen  pur^ 
suing  its  tranquil  way  through  the  rugged  regions  of  tlie  Black 
HiUs.  In  the  east,  the  head-waters  of  Wind  River  wandered 
through  a  plain,  until,  mingling  in  one  powerful  current,  they 
forced  their  way  through  the  range  of  Horn  Mountains,  and 
were  lost  to  view.  To  the  north  were  caught  glimpses  of  the 
upper  streams  of  the  Yellowstone,  that  great  tributary  of  the 
Missouri.  In  another  direction  were  to  be  seen  some  of  the 
sources  of  the  Oregon,  or  Columbia,  flowing  to  the  northwest, 
past  those  towering  landmarks,  the  Three  Tetons,  and  pouring 
down  into  the  great  lava  plain ;  while,  almost  at  the  captain's 
feet,  the  Green  River,  or  Colorado  of  the  West,  set  forth  on  its 
wandering  pilgrimage  to  the  Gulf  of  California;  at  first  a  mere 
mountain  torrent,  dashing  northward  over  crag  and  precipice, 
in  a  succession  of  cascades,  and  tumbling  into  the  plain,  where, 
expanding  into  an  ample  river,  it  circled  away  to  the  south, 
and  after  alternately  shining  out  and  disappearing  in  the 
mazes  of  the  vast  landscape,  was  finally  lost  in  a  horizon  of 
mountains.  The  day  was  calm  and  cloudless,  and  the  atmos- 
phere so  pure  that  objects  were  discernible  at  an  astonishing 
distance.  The  whole  of  this  immense  area  was  inclosed  by  an 
outer  range  of  shadowy  peaks,  some  of  them  faintly  marked 
on  the  horizon,  which  seemed  to  wall  it  in  from  the  rest  of  the 
earth. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  Captain  Bonneville  had  no  instru- 
ments with  him  with  which  to  ascertain  the  altitude  of  this 
peak.  He  gives  it  as  his  opinion,  that  it  is  the  loftiest  point  of 
the  North  American  continent ;  but  of  this  we  have  no  satis- 
tiCtory  proof.    It  is  certain  that  the  Rocky  Mountains  are  of 


II 


iiWi* 


;."-  ■rrftreriii 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE.         157 

an  altitude  vastly  superior  to  what  was  formerly  supposed. 
"We  rather  incline  to  the  opinion  that  the  highest  peak  is  fur- 
ther to  the  northward,  and  is  the  same  measured  by  Mr. 
Thompson,  surveyor  to  the  Northwest  Company ;  who,  by  the 
joint  means  of  the  barometer  and  trigonometric  measurement, 
ascertained  it  to  be  twenty-five  thousand  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea;  an  elevation  only  inferior  to  that  of  the  Him- 
alayas.* 

For  a  long  time,  Captain  Bonneville  remained  gazing  around 
him  with  wonder  and  enthusiasm;  at  length  the  chill  and 
wintry  winds,  whirling  about  the  snow-clad  height,  admon- 
ished him  to  descend.  He  soon  regained  the  spot  where  he 
and  his  companions  had  thrown  off  their  coats,  which  were 
now  gladly  resumed,  and,  retracing  their  course  down  the 
peak,  they  safely  rejoined  their  companions  on  the  border  of 
the  lake. 

Notwithstanding  the  savage  and  almost  inaccessible  nature 
of  these  mountains,  they  have  their  inhabitants.  As  one  of 
the  party  was  out  bunting,  he  came  upon  the  track  of  a  man, 
in  a  lonely  valley.  Following  it  up,  he  reached  the  brow  of  a 
cliff,  whence  he  beheld  t^iree  savages  running  across  the  valley 
below  him.  He  fired  his  gun  to  call  their  attention,  hoping  to 
induce  them  to  turn  back.  They  only  fled  the  faster,  and  dis- 
appeared among  the  rocks.  The  hunter  returned  and  reported 
what  he  had  seen.  Captain  Bonneville  at  once  concluded  that 
these  belonged  to  a  kind  of  hermit  race,  scanty  in  number, 
that  inhabit  the  highest  and  most  inaccessible  fastnesses. 
They  speak  the  ShoshonFe  language,  and  probably  are  offsets 
from  that  tribe,  though  tbey  have  peculiarities  of  their  own 
which  distinguish  them  from  all  other  Indians.  They  are 
miserably  poor,  own  no  horees,  and  are  destitute  of  every  con- 
venience to  be  derived  from  an  intercourse  with  the  whites. 
Their  weapons  are  bows  and  stone-pointed  arrows,  with  which 
they  hunt  the  deer,  the  elk,  and  the  mountain  sheep.  They 
are  to  be  found  scattered  about  the  countries  of  the  Shoshonie, 
Flathead,  Crow,  and  Blackfeet  tribep ;  but  their  residences  are 
always  in  lonely  places,  and  the  clefts  of  the  rocks. 

Their  footsteps  are  often  seen  by  the  trappers  in  the  high 
and  solitary  valleys  among  the  mountains,  and  the  smokes  of 
their  fires  descried  among  the  precipices,  but  they  themselves 


V  • 


'  1'  \ 


*  See  the  letter  of  Professor  Renwick,  in  the  Appendix  to  Astoria. 


158 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


are  rarely  mot  with,  and  still  more  rarely  brought  to  a  parley, 
sa  great  is  their  shyness  and  their  dread  of  strangers. 

As  their  poverty  offers  no  temptation  to  the  marauder,  end 
as  they  are  inoffensive  in  their  habits,  they  are  never  the  ob- 
jects of  warfare;  should  one  of  them,  however,  fall  into  tho 
hands  of  a  war  party,  he  is  sure  to  he  made  a  sacrifice,  for  the 
Bake  of  that  savage  trophy,  a  scalp,  and  that  barbarous  cere- 
mony, a  scalp  dance.  These  forlorn  beings,  forming  a  mere 
link  between  human  nature  and  the  brute,  have  been  looked 
down  upc-i  with  pity  and  contempt  by  the  Creole  trappers, 
who  have  given  them  the  appellation  of  "les  dignes  de  pitie," 
or  "the  objects  of  pity."  They  appear  mora  worthy  to  be 
called  the  wild  men  of  the  mountains. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


A  RETROGRADE  MOVE  — CHANNEL  OP  A  MOUNTAIN  TORRENT  — 
ALPINE  SCENERY— CASCADES— BEAVER  VALLEYS — BEAVERS  AT 
WORK— THEIR  ARCHITECTURE— THEIR  MOI>ES  OF  FELLING  TREES 
—MODE  OP  TRAPPING  BEAVER— CONTESTS  OP  SKILL— A  BEAVER 
"up  to  trap"— arrival  at  the  GREEN  RIVER  CACHES. 

The  view  from  the  snowy  peak  of  the  "Wind  River  Moun- 
tain, while  it  had  excited  Captain  Bonneville's  enthusiasm, 
had  satisfied  him  that  it  would  be  useless  to  force  a  passage 
westward,  through  multiplying  barriers  of  cliffs  and  preci- 
pices. Turning  his  face  eastward,  therefore,  he  endeavored 
to  regain  the  plains,  intending  to  make  the  circuit  round  the 
southern  point  of  the  mountain.  To  descend  and  to  extricate 
himself  from  the  heart  of  this  rock-piled  wilderness,  was  al- 
most as  difficult  as  to  penetrate  it.  Taking  his  course  down 
the  ravine  of  a  tumbhng  stream,  the  commencement  of  some 
future  river,  he  descended  from  rock  to  rock,  and  shelf  to 
shelf,  between  stupendous  cliffs  and  beethng  crags  that 
sprang  up  to  the  sky.  Often  he  had  to  cross  and  recross 
the  rushing  torrent,  as  it  wound  foaming  and  roaring  down 
its  broken  channel,  or  was  walled  by  perpendicular  precipices; 
and  imminent  was  the  hazard  of  breaking  the  legs  of  the 
horses  in  the  clefts  and  fissures  of  slippery  rocks.  The  whole 
scenery  of  this  deep  ravine  was  of  Alpine  wildness  and  sub- 


'■liil 


ADVSIs TUBES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


159 


limity.  Sometimes  the  travellers  passed  beneath  cascades 
which  pitched  from  such  lofty  iieights  that  the  water  fell 
into  the  stream  hke  heavy  rain.  In  other  places  torrentfi 
came  tumbUng  from  crag  to  crag,  dashing  into  foam  and 
spray,  and  making  tremendous  din  and  uproar. 

On  the  second  day  of  their  descent,  the  travellers,  having 
got  beyond  the  steepest  pitch  of  the  mountains,  came  to  where 
xhe  deep  and  rugged  ravine  began  occasionally  co  expand  into 
small  levels  or  valleys,  and  the  stream  to  assume  for  short 
intervals  a  more  peaceful  character.  Here  not  merely  the 
river  itself,  but  every  rivulet  flowing  into  it,  was  dammed 
up  by  communities  of  industrious  beavers,  sci  as  to  inundate 
the  neighborhood  and  make  continual  swamps. 

During  a  mid-day  halt  in  one  of  these  beaver  valleys.  Cap- 
tain Bonneville  left  his  companions,  and  strolled  down  the 
course  of  the  stream  to  reconnoitre.  He  had  not  proceeded 
far  when  he  came  to  a  beaver  pond,  and  cavight  a  glimpse 
of  one  of  its  painstaking  inhabitants  busily  at  work  upon  the 
dam.  The  curiosity  of  the  captain  was  aroused,  to  behold  the 
mode  of  operating  of  this  far-famed  architect;  he  raoved  for- 
ward, therefore,  with  the  utmost  caution,  parting  the  branches 
of  the  water  willows  without  making  any  noise,  imtil  having 
attained  a  position  commanding  a  view  of  the  whole  pond,  he 
stretched  himself  flat  on  the  ground,  and  watched  the  solitary 
workman.  In  a  Uttle  while  three  others  appeared  at  the  head 
of  the  dam,  bringing  sticks  and  bushes.  With  these  they  pro- 
ceeded directly  to  the  barrier,  which  Captain  Bonneville  per- 
ceived was  in  need  of  repair.  Having  deposited  their  loads 
upon  the  broken  part,  they  dived  into  the  water,  and  shortly 
reappeared  at  the  surface.  Each  now  brought  a  quaiitit^  of 
mud,  with  which  he  would  plaster  the  sticks  and  bushes  just 
deposited.  This  kind  of  masonry  ^vas  continued  for  some 
time,  repeated  supphes  of  wood  and  mud  being  brought,  and 
treated  h  the  same  manner.  Tliis  done,  t-he  industrious 
beavers  indulged  in  a  little  recreation,  chasing  each  other 
about  the  pond,  dodging  and  whisking  about  on  the  surface, 
or  diving  to  the  bottom;  a: id  in  their  frolic  often  slapping 
their  tails  on  the  water  with  n  loud  clacking  sound.  While 
they  were  thus  amusing  themselves,  another  of  the  fraternity 
made  his  appearance,  and  looked  gravely  on  their  sports  for 
some  time,  without  ofi;ering  to  join  in  them.  He  then  climbed 
the  bank  close  to  where  the  captain  was  concealed,  and,  rear- 
ing liimself  on  his  hind  quarters,  in  a  sitting  position,  put  his 


■I 


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160 


ADVENTUIiES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


'1'P 


foro  paws  against  a  young  pine  tree,  and  began  to  cut  the  bark 
with  his  teeth.  At  times  he  would  tear  off  a  email  piece,  and 
holding  it  between  his  paws,  and  retaining  his  sedentary  posi- 
tion, would  feed  himself  with  it,  after  the  fashion  of  a  monkey. 
The  object  of  the  beaver,  however,  was  evidently  to  cut  down 
the  tree ;  and  he  was  proceeding  with  his  work,  when  he  wa.9 
alarmed  by  the  approach  of  Captain  Bonneville's  men,  who, 
feeling  anxious  at  the  protracted  absence  of  their  leader,  were 
coming  in  search  of  him.  At  the  sound  of  their  voices,  all  the 
beavers,  busy  as  well  as  idle,  dived  at  once  beneath  the  sur- 
face, and  were  no  more  to  be  seen.  Captain  Bonneville  re- 
gretted this  interruption.  Ho  had  heard  much  of  the  sagacity 
of  the  beaver  in  cutting  down  trees,  in  which,  it  is  said,  they 
manage  to  make  them  fall  into  the  water,  and  in  such  a  posi- 
tion and  direction  as  may  be  most  favorable  for  conveyance  to 
the  desired  point.  In  the  present  instance,  the  tree  was  a  tall, 
straight  pine,  and  is  it  grew  perpendicularly,  and  there  was 
not  a  breath,  of  air  stirring,  the  beaver  could  have  felled  it  in 
uny  direction  he  pleased,  if  really  capable  of  exercising  a  dis- 
ci etion  in  the  matter.  He  was  evidently  engaged  in  "belting" 
the  tree,  and  his  first  incision  had  been  on  the  side  nearest  to 
the  water. 

Captain  Bonneville,  however,  discredits,  on  the  whole,  the 
allee:ed  sagacity  of  the  beaver  in  this  particular,  and  thinks 
the  animal  has  no  other  aim  than  to  get  the  tree  down,  without 
anv  of  the  subtle  calculation  as  to  its  mode  or  direction  of  fall- 
ing.  This  attribute,  he  thinks,  has  been  ascribed  to  them  from 
the  circumstance  that  most  trees  growing  near  water-courses, 
either  loan  bodily  toward  the  stream,  or  stretch  their  largest 
h.nbs  in  that  direction,  to  benefit  by  the  space,  the  light,  and 
the  air  to  be  found  there.  The  beaver,  of  course,  attacks  thoae 
trees  which  are  nearest  at  hand,  and  on  the  barks  of  the 
stream  or  pond.  He  makes  incisions  round  them,  or,  in  tech- 
nical phrat^o,  belts  them  with  his  teeth,  and  when  they  fall, 
thoy  naturally  take  the  direction  in  which  their  trunks  or 
branches  preponderate. 

"I  have  often,"  eays  Captain  Bonneville,  ''seen  trees 
measuring  eighteen  inches  in  diameter,  at  the  places  where 
they  had  been  cut  through  by  the  beaver,  but  they  lay  in 
all  directions,  and  often  very  inconveniently  for  the  after 
purposes  of  the  animal.  In  fact,  so  little  ingenuity  do  the^,' 
at  times  display  in  this  particular,  that  at  one  of  our  camps  on 
Snake  River  a  beaver  was  found  with  his  head  wedged  into 


w  -rfW-.-v---.. 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


IGl 


the  cut  which  he  had  made,  the  tree  having  fallen  upon  him 
and  held  hiin  prisoner  until  he  died." 

Great  choice,  according  to  the  captain,  is  certainly  displayed 
by  the  beaver  in  selecting  the  wood  which  is  to  fuiiiish  bai'k 
for  winter  provision.  The  whole  beaver  household,  old  and 
young,  set  out  upon  this  business,  and  will  often  make  long 
journeys  before  they  are  suited.  Sometimes  they  cut  down 
trees  of  the  largest  size  and  then  cull  the  branches,  the  bark  of 
which  is  most  to  their  taste.  These  they  cut  into  lengths  of 
about  three  feet,  convey  them  to  the  water,  and  float  them  to 
their  lodges,  where  they  are  stored  away  for  winter.  They 
are  studious  of  cleanliness  and  C(jmfort  in  their  lodges,  and 
after  their  repasts,  will  cany  out  the  sticks  from  which  they 
have  eaten  the  bark,  and  throw  them  into  the  current  beyond 
the  barrier.  They  are  jealous,  too,  of  their  territories,  and 
extremely  pugnacious,  never  permitting  a  strange  beaver  to 
enter  their  premises,  and  often  fighting  with  such  virulence  as 
almost  to  tear  each  other  to  pieces.  In  the  spring,  which  is 
the  breeding  season,  the  male  leaves  the  t'oniale  at  home,  and 
sets  oif  on  a  tour  of  pleasure,  rambling  often  to  a  gn^at 
distance,  recreating  himself  in  e%'ery  clear  jmd  (juiet  c'xi>nn,so 
of  water  on  his  way,  and  climbing  the  banks  occasionally  to 
feast  upon  the  tender  sprouts  of  the  young  willows.  As  sum- 
mer advances,  he  gives  up  his  hnclielor  rambles,  and  bethink- 
ing himself  of  housekeeping  duties,  returns  1  ionic  to  his  mate 
and  his  new  progeny,  and  marshals  them  .ill  for  the  foraging 
expedition  in  quest  of  winter  j)ro visions. 

After  having  shown  the  public  spirit  of  this  praisewoi-thy 
little  animal  as  a  member  of  a  connrmnity,  and  his  amiable  :md 
exemplary  conduct  as  the  father  of  a  family,  we  grieve  to  re- 
cord the  perils  with  ^\•hich  he  is  environed,  and  the  snares  set 
for  him  and  his  painstaking  household. 

Practice,  says  Captain  liojmeville,  has  given  such  a  quick- 
ness of  eye  to  the  experienced  traj)])er  in  all  that  relates  to  his 
pursuit,  that  he  can  det(V't  the  slightest  sign  of  beaver,  how- 
ever wild;  and  although  the  lodge  ma}'  Ik  coneealed  ])y  close 
thickets  and  overhanging  willows,  lie  can  generally,  at  a  single 
glance,  make  an  accurate  guess  at  the  munber  of  its  inmates. 
He  now  goes  to  work  to  set  his  era]*;  i)lanting  it  ui)on  the 
shore,  in  some  chosen  place,  two  or  three  iiiches  below  the  sur- 
face of  the  water,  and  s(>cures  it  by  a  chain  to  a  i)ole  set  deep 
in  the  nmd.  A  small  twig  is  then  MLripixnl  of  its  hark,  and  one 
end  is  dipped  in  the  "medicine,"  as  the  trappers  term  tho 


Uu 


I  J 


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1   i 

■ '  i 

■' 

102        ADVENTUliES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 

peculiar  bait  which  they  employ.  This  end  of  the  stick  rises 
about  four  inches  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  the  other  end 
is  planted  be^veen  the  jaws  of  the  trap.  The  beaver,  possess- 
ing an  acute  sense  of  smell,  is  soon  attracted  by  the  odor  of  the 
bait.  As  he  raises  his  nose  toward  it.  his  foot  is  caught  in  the 
trap.  In  his  fright  he  throws  a  somerset  into  the  deep  water. 
The  trap  being  fastened  to  the  pole,  resists  all  his  efforts  to 
drag  it  to  the  shore ;  the  chain  by  which  it  is  fastened  defies 
his  teeth ;  he  struggles  for  a  time,  and  at  length  sinks  to  the 
bottom  and  is  drowned. 

Upon  rocky  bottoms,  where  it  is  not  possible  to  plant  the 
pole,  it  is  thrown  into  the  stream.  The  beaver  when  entrapped 
often  gets  fastened  by  the  chain  to  sunken  logs  or  floating 
timber ;  if  he  gets  to  shore,  he  is  entangled  in  the  thickets  of 
brook  willows.  In  such  cases,  however,  it  costs  the  trapper 
diligent  search,  and  sometimes  a  bout  at  swimming,  before  he 
finds  his  game. 

Occasionally  it  happens  that  several  members  of  a  beaver 
family  are  trapped  in  succession.  The  survivors  then  become 
extremely  shy,  and  can  scarcely  be  ' '  brought  to  medicine, "  to 
use  the  trapper's  phrase,  for  "taking  tho  bait."  In  such  case, 
the  trapper  gives  up  the  use  of  the  bait  and  conceals  his  trnps 
in  the  usual  paths  and  crossing-places  of  the  household.  The 
beaver  now  being  completely  "up  to  trap, "  approaches  them 
cautiously,  and  springs  them  ingeniously  with  a  stick.  At 
other  times  he  turns  the  traps  bottom  upward  by  the  same 
means,  and  occasiocially  evon  drags  them  to  the  barrier  and 
conceals  them  in  the  mud.  The  trapper  now  give  up  the  con- 
test of  ingenuity,  and  shouldering  his  traps  marches  oft,  ad* 
mitting  that  he  is  not  yet  "up  to  beaver." 

On  the  day  following  Captain  Bonneville's  supervision  of  tlio 
industrious  and  frolicsome  community  of  beavers,  of  which  ho 
has  given  so  edifying  an  account,  he  succeeded  in  extricating 
himself  from  the  Wind  River  Mountains,  and  regaining  the 
plain  to  the  eastward,  made  a  great  bend  to  the  south,  so  as  to 
go  round  the  bases  of  the  mountains,  and  arrived,  without 
furthox'  incident  of  importance,  at  the  old  place  of  rendezvous 
in  Green  River  valley,  on  the  17th  of  September. 

He  found  tlie  caches,  in  which  he  had  deposited  his  superflu- 
ous goods  and  equipments,  all  safe,  and  having  opened  and 
taken  from  them  the  necessary  supplies,  ho  closed  tliem  again, 
taking  care  to  obliterate  all  traces  that  might  betray  thorn  to 
the  keen  eyes  of  Indian  marauders. 


■iiWjJi^..,. 


dU  V Emu  RES    OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLB, 


163 


CITAPTLR  XXVII. 

ROUTR  TOWARD  WIND  RWER  — DANGEROUS  NEIGHBORHOOD  — 
ALARMS  AND  PRECAUTIONS— A  SHAM  ENCAMPMENT— APPARITION 
OF  AN  INDIAN  SPY  -  MIDNIGHT  MOVE— A  MOUNTAIN  DEFILE— 
THE  WIND  RIVER  VALLEY— TRACKING  A  PARTY— DESERTED 
CAMPS — SYMPTOMS  OF  CROWS  —  MESTING  OP  COMRADES  -  A 
TRAPPER  ENTRAPPED— CROW  PLEASANTRY  — CROW  SPIES — A 
DECAMPMENT- RETURN  TO  GREEN  RIVER  VALLEY- MEETING 
WITH  FITZPATRICK's  PARTY— THEIR  ADVENTURES  AMONG  THE 
CROWS— ORTHODOX  CROWS. 

On  the  18th  of  September,  Captain  Bonneville  and  his  three 
companions  set  out,  bright  and  early,  to  lejoin  the  main  party, 
from  which  they  had  parted  on  Wind  River.  Their  route  laj" 
up  the  Green  River  valley,  with  that  stream  on  their  right 
hand,  and  beyond  it  the  range  of  Wind  River  IMountains.  At 
tlio  head  of  the  valley  they  were  to  pass  through  a  defile  which 
would  bring  them  out  beyond  the  northern  end  of  these  moun- 
tains, to  the  head  of  Wind  River;  where  they  expected  to  meet 
the  mnin  party  according  to  arrangement. 

We  have  already  adverted  to  the  dangerous  nature  of  this 
neighborhood,  infested  by  roving  bands  of  Crows  and  Black- 
feet,  to  whom  the  numerous  defiles  and  passes  of  the  country 
afford  capital  places  for  ambush  and  sin-prise.  The  travellers, 
therefore,  kept  a  vigilant  eye  upon  everything  that  might  give 
intimation  of  lurking  danger. 

About  two  hours  after  mid-day,  as  they  reached  the  summit 
f)f  a  hill,  they  discovered  buffalo  on  the  plain  below,  running 
ill  every  direction.  One  of  the  men,  too,  fancied  ho  heard  the 
I'cport  of  a  gun.  It  was  concluded,  therefore,  that  there  was 
some  party  of  Indians  bel<^\v,  hunting  t)ie  buffalo. 

Tlie  horses  were  immediately  ccmcealcd  in  a  narrow  ravine; 
and  the  captain,  mounting  an  eminence,  but  concealing  him- 
St'lf  from  view,  reconnoitred  tlie  whole  neighborhood  with  a 
telescope.  Not  an  Indian  was  to  be  seen;  so,  after  halting 
about  an  hour,  ho  resumed  his  journey.  Convinc(>d,  however, 
that  he  "vas  in  a  dangerous  neighborhood,  ho  advanced  wiih 
the  utmost  caution;  winding  his  way  through  hollows  and 


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164- 


ADVENTUllES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE: 


.:  t*^ 


.       I 


ravines,  and  avoiding,  as  much  as  possible,  any  open  tract  or 
rising  ground  that  might  betray  his  little  party  to  the  Avatchl'ul 
eye  of  an  Indian  scout. 

Arriving  at  length  at  the  edge  of  the  open  meadow  land 
bordering  on  the  river,  he  again  observed  the  buffalo,  as  far  as 
he  could  see,  scampering  in  great  alariii.  Once  more  conceal- 
ing the  horses,  he  and  his  companions  remained  for  &,  long 
time  watching  the  various  groups  of  the  ai^imals,  as  each 
caught  the  panic  and  started  off;  but  they  sought  in  vain  to 
discover  the  cause. 

They  were  now  about  to  enter  the  mountain  defile,  at  the 
head  of  Green  River  valley,  where  they  miglit  be  waylaid  and 
attacked ;  they  therefore  arranged  the  packs  on  their  horses,  in 
the  manner  most  secure  and  convenient  for  sudden  flight, 
should  such,  be  necessary.  This  doiLO,  they  again  set  forward, 
keeping  th(^  most  anxious  look-out  in  every  direction. 

It  was  now  drawing  toward  evening;  but  they  could  not 
think  of  encamping  for  the  night  in  a  pi  nee  so  full  of  danger. 
Captain  Bonneville,  therefore,  determined  to  halt  about  sun- 
set, kindle  a  fire,  as  if  for  encampment,  cook  and  eat  supi)er; 
but,  as  soon  as  it  mixs  sufficiently  dark,  to  make  a  rapid  move 
for  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  and  seek  some  secluded  spot 
for  their  nifrht's  lodgings.  V 

Accordingly,  as  the  sun  went  down,  the  little  party  came  to 
a  halt,  made  a  large  fire,  spitted  their  buffalo  meat  on  wooden 
sticks,  and,  when  suffioiently  roasted,  planted  the  sa\'()ry 
viands  before  them;  cutting  off  huge  slices  with  their  hnntirg 
knives,  and  supping  with  a  hunter's  appetite.  The  light  of 
their  fire  would  not  fail,  as  they  knew,  to  attract  the  attention 
of  any  Indian  horde  in  the  neighborhood ;  but  they  trusted  to 
be  off  and  away  before  any  prowlers  could  reach  tlie  place. 
While  they  were  supping  thus  hastily,  however,  one  of  their 
party  suddenly  started  up  and  shouted  "Indians!"  All  were 
instantly  on  their  feet,  with  their  rifles  in  their  hands;  but 
could  see  no  enemy.  The  man,  however,  declared  that  ho 
had  seen  an  Indian  advancing  cautiously  along  the  trail  which 
they  had  made  in  coming  to  the  encampment,  who,  the  mo- 
ment he  was  perceived  had  thrown  himself  on  the  groinid  and 
disappeared.  He  urged  Captain  Bonneville  instantly  to  de- 
camp. The  captain,  however,  took  the  matter  more  coolly. 
Tlie  single  fact  that  the  Indian  had  endeavored  to  hide  himself, 
convinced  him  tint  he  was  not  on(3  of  a  party  on  the  advance 
to  make  an  attack.    lie  was,  probably,  some  scout,  who  had 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


165 


followed  up  their  trail  until  he  came  in  sight  of  their  fire. 
He  would,  in  such  case,  return,  and  report  what  he  had  seen 
to  his  companions.  These,  supposing  the  white  men  had  en- 
cam]ied  for  the  night,  would  keep  aloof  until  very  late,  when 
all  should  be  asleep.  They  would  then,  according  to  Indian 
tactics,  make  their  stealthy  approaches,  and  place  themselves 
in  ambush  around,  preparatory  to  their  attack  at  the  usual 
horn*  of  daylight. 

Such  was  Captain  Bonneville's  conclusion ;  in  consequence 
of  which,  he  counselled  his  men  to  keep  perfectly  quiet,  and 
act  as  if  free  from  alarir ,  until  the  proper  time  arrived  for  a 
movement.  They,  accordingly,  continued  their  repast  with 
protended  appetite  and  jollity;  and  then  trimmed  and  re- 
plenished their  fire,  as  if  for  a  bivouac.  As  soon,  however,  as 
the  night  had  completely  set  in,  they  left  their  fiio  bla55ing, 
walked  quietly  among  the  willows,  and  then  leaping  into  their 
saddles,  made  off  as  noiselessly  as  possible.  In  projiortion  ne 
they  left  the  point  of  danger  behi!iS  them,  they  relaxed  in 
their  rigid  and  anxious  taciturnity,  and  began  to  joke  at  the 
expense  of  their  enemy,  whom  they  pictiu'ed  to  themselvci* 
mousing  in  the  neighborhood  of  their  deserted  fire,  waiting  for 
the  proper  time  of  attack,  and  preparing  for  a  gi'and  dis- 
appointment. 

About  midnight,  feeling  satisfied  that  they  had  gained  a 
secure  distance,  they  posted  one  of  their  number  to  keep 
watch,  in  case  the  enemy  should  follow  on  their  trail,  and 
then,  turning  abruptly  into  a  dense  and  matted  thicket  of 
willows,  halted  for  the  night  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  in- 
stead of  making  for  the  summit,  as  they  had  originally  in- 
tended. 

A  trapper  in  the  wilderness,  like  a  sailor  on  the  ocean, 
snatches  morsels  of  enjoyment  in  the  midst  of  trouble,  and 
sleeps  soundly  when  surrounded  by  danger.  The  little  party 
now  made  their  arrangements  for  sleep  with  perfect  calmness ; 
they  did  not  venture  to  make  a  fire  and  cook,  it  is  true,  though 
generally  done  by  hunters  whenever  they  come  to  a  halt,  and 
have  provisions.  They  comforted  themselves,  however,  by 
smoking  a  tranquil  pipe;  and  then  calling  in  the  watch,  and 
turning  loose  the  horses,  sti'ctched  thems('lv^(>s  on  their  ]vinets, 
agreed  that  whoever  should  first  awake  sliould  rouse  tl)e  rest, 
and  in  a  little  while  were  all  in  as  sound  sleep  as  though  in  the 
midst  of  a  fortress. 

A  little  before  day,  they  were  all  on  the  alert ;  it  was  the 


>  i; 


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166 


AD  VENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


■    ,    .' 

\: 

Ir 

;   !i  If 

'f 

m 


hour  for  Indian  maraud.  A  sentinel  was  immediately  de- 
tached, to  post  himself  at  a  little  distance  on  their  trail,  and 
give  the  alarm,  should  he  see  or  hear  an  enemy. 

With  the  first  blink  of  dawn  the  rest  sought  the  horses, 
brought  them  to  the  camp,  and  tied  them  up  until  an  hour 
after  sunrise,  when,  the  sentinel  having  reported  that  all  was 
well,  they  sprang  once  more  into  their  saddles,  and  pursued 
the  most  covert  and  secret  paths  up  the  mountain,  avoiding 
the  direct  route. 

At  noon  they  halted  and  made  a  hasty  repast,  and  then  bent 
their  course  so  as  to  regain  the  route  from  which  they  had 
diverged.  They  were  now  made  sensible  oi  the  danger  from 
which  they  had  just  escaped.  There  were  tracks  of  Indians, 
who  had  evidently  been  in  pursuit  of  them,  but  had  recently 
returned,  baffled  in  their  search. 

Trusting  that  they  had  now  got  a  fair  start,  and  could  not 
be  overtaken  before  night,  even  in  case  the  Indians  should  re- 
new the  chase,  they  ptlShed  briskly  forward,  and  did  not  en- 
camp until  late,  when  they  cautiously  concealed  themselves  in 
a  secure  nook  of  the  mountains. 

Without  any  further  alarm,  they  made  their  way  to  the 
head-waters  of  Wind  River ;  and  reached  the  neighborhood  in 
which  they  had  appointed  the  rendezvous  with  their  com- 
panions. It  was  within  the  predicts  of  the  Crow  country ; 
the  Wind  River  valley  being  one  of  the  favorite  haunts  of  that 
restless  tribe.  After  much  searching.  Captain  Bonneville  came 
upon  a  trail  which  had  evidently  been  made  by  his  main  party 
It  was  so  old,  however,  that  he  feared  his  people  might  have 
left  the  neighborhood;  driven  off,  perhaps,  by  some  of  those 
war  parties  which  were  on  the  prowl.  He  continued  his 
search  with  great  anxiety,  and  no  little  fatigue ;  for  his  horses 
were  jaded,  and  almost  crippled,  by  their  forced  marches  and 
scramblings  through  rocky  defiles. 

On  the  following  day,  about  noon.  Captain  Bonnevillp  came 
upon  a  deserted  camp  of  his  people,  from  which  they  had  evi- 
dently turned  back;  but  he  could  find  no  signs  to  indicate 
why  they  had  done  so ;  whether  they  had  met  with  misfortune, 
or  molestation,  or  in  what  direction  they  had  gone.  He  was 
now  more  than  ever  perplexed. 

On  the  following  day  he  resumed  his  march  with  increasing 
anxiety.  The  feet  of  his  horses  had  by  this  time  become  so 
worn  and  wounded  by  the  rocks,  that  he  had  to  make  mocca- 
siuR  for  them  of  buffalo  hide.    About  noon  he  came  to  another 


^^ 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILl.E. 


1G7 


'  t-.'n 


deserted  camp  of  his  men ;  but  soon  after  lost  their  trail.  After 
great  search,  he  once  more  found  it,  turning  in  a  southerly  di- 
rection along  the  eastern  bases  of  the  Wind  Kivor  ]\h)uiitjiins, 
which  towered  to  the  right.  He  now  pushed  forwai-d  with  all 
possible  speed,  in  hopes  of  overtaking  the  party.  At  night  he 
slept  at  another  of  their  camps,  from  which  they  had  but  i-e- 
cently  departed.  When  the  day  dawned  sufficiently  to  distin- 
guish objects,  he  perceived  the  danger  that  must  bo  dogging 
the  heels  of  his  main  party.  AU  about  the  camp  were  traces 
of  Indians  who  must  have  been  prowling  about  it  at  the  time 
his  people  had  passed  the  night  there ;  and  who  must  still  bo 
hovering  about  them.  Convinced  now  that  the  main  party 
could  not  be  at  an/  great  distance,  he  mounted  a  scout  on  the 
best  horse,  and  sent  him  forward  to  overtake  them,  to  warn 
them  of  their  danger,  and  to  order  them  to  halt,  until  he  should 
rejoin  them. 

In  the  afternoon,  to  his  great  joy,  he  met  the  scout  return- 
ing, with  six  comrades  from  the  main  party,  leading  fresh 
horses  for  his  accommodation ;  and  on  the  following  day  (Sep- 
tember 25th),  all  hands  were  once  more  reunited,  after  a  sepa- 
ration of  nearly  three  weeks.  Their  meeting  was  hearty  and 
joyous ;  for  they  had  both  experienced  dangers  and  perplcxi* 
ties. 

The  main  party,  in  pursuing  their  course  up  the  Wind  River 
valley,  had  been  dogged  the  whole  way  by  a  war  party  of 
Crows.  In  one  place  they  had  been  fired  upon,  but  without 
injury;  in  another  place,  one  of  their  horses  had  been  cut 
loose,  and  carried  off.  At  length,  they  were  so  closely  beset 
that  they  were  obliged  to  make  a  retrograde  move,  lest  they 
should  be  surprised  and  overcome.  This  was  the  movement 
which  had  caused  such  perplexity  to  Captain  Bonneville. 

The  whole  party  now  remained  encamped  for  two  or  three 
days,  to  give  repose  to  both  men  and  horses.  Some  of  the 
trappers,  however,  pursued  their  vocations  about  the  neigh- 
boring streams.  While  one  of  them  was  setting  his  traps,  ho 
hoard  the  tramp  of  horses,  and  loolving  up,  beheld  a  pari-y  of 
Crow  braves  moving  along  at  no  great  distance,  with  a  consid- 
erable cavalcade.  The  trapper  hastened  to  conceal  himself, 
but  was  discerned  by  the  quick  eye  of  the  sa-^ "igos.  With 
whoops  and  yells,  they  dragged  him  from  his  hiding-place, 
flourished  over  his  head  their  tomahawks  and  scalping-knives, 
and  for  a  time  the  poor  trapper  gave  himself  up  for  lost.  For- 
tunately the  Crows  were  in  a  jocose  rather  than  a  sanguinary 


n 


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168 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE 


mood.  They  amused  themselves  heartily  for  a  while  at  the 
expense  of  his  terrors,  and  after  having  played  off  divers 
Crow  pranks  and  pleasantries,  suffered  him  to  depart  un- 
harmed. It  is  true,  they  stripped  him  completely,  one  tak- 
inc^  his  horse,  another  liis  gim,  a  third  his  traps,  a  fourth 
his  blanket,  and  so  on  through  all  his  accoutrements,  and  even 
his  clothing,  until  he  was  stark  naked ;  but  then  they  gener- 
ously made  him  a  present  of  an  old  tattered  buffalo  robe,  and 
dismissed  him,  with  many  complimentary  speeches  and  much 
laughter.  When  the  trapper  returned  to  the  camp  in  such 
sorry  plight,  he  was  greeted  with  peals  of  laughter  from  his 
comrades,  and  seemed  more  mortified  by  the  style  in  which  he 
had  been  dismissed,  than  rejoiced  at  escaping  with  his  life.  A 
circumstance  which  he  related  to  Captain  Bonneville  gave 
some  insight  into  the  cause  of  this  extreme  jocularity  on  the 
part  of  the  Crows.  They  had  evidently  had  a  i-un  of  luck, 
and,  like  winning  gamblers,  were  in  high  good  humor.  Among 
twenty-six  fine  horses,  and  some  mules,  which  composed  their 
cavalcade,  the  trapper  recognized  a  number  which  had  be- 
longed to  Fitzpatrick's  brigade,  when  they  parted  company  on 
the  Bighorn.  It  was  supposed,  therefore,  that  these  vaga- 
Ijcnds  had  boon  on  his  trail,  and  robbed  him  of  part  of  liis 
cavalry. 

On  the  day  following  this  affair,  three  Crows  came  into  Cap- 
tain Bonneville's  camp,  with  the  most  easy,  innocent,  if  not 
impudent  air  imaginable ;  walking  about  with  that  impertur- 
bable coolness  and  unconcern  in  which  the  Indian  rivals  the 
fine  gentleman.  As  they  had  not  been  of  the  set  which 
stripped  the  trapper,  though  evidently  of  the  same  band, 
they  were  not  molested.  Indeed,  Captain  Bonneville  treated 
them  with  his  usual  kindness  and  hospitality ;  permitting  them 
to  remain  all  day  in  the  camp,  and  even  to  pass  the  night 
there.  At  the  same  time,  however,  he  caused  a  strict  watch 
to  be  maintained  on  all  their  luovenients  and  at  night  sta- 
tioned an  armed  sentinel  near  them.  The  Oows  remonstrated 
against  the  latter  being  armed.  This  only  made  the  captain 
suspect  them  to  be  s]3ies,  who  meditated  treachery;  he  re- 
doubled, therefore,  liis  precautions.  At  the  same  time  he  as- 
sured his  guests  that  while  they  were  perfectly  welcome  to  the 
shelter  and  comfort  of  his  camp,  yet,  should  any  of  their  tribe 
venture  to  approach  during  the  night,  they  would  certainly  be 
shot,  which  would  be  a  very  unfortunate  circumstance,  and 
much  to  be  deplored.     To  the  latter  remark  they  fully  as- 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE.        169 

sented,  and  shortly  afterward  commenced  a  wild  song  or 
chant,  which  they  kept*  up  for  a  long  time,  and  in  which 
they  very  probably  gave  their  friends,  who  might  be  prowl- 
ing round  the  camp,  notice  that  the  white  men  were  on  the 
alert.  The  night  passed  away  without  disturbance.  In  the 
morning  the  three  Crow  guests  were  very  pressing  that  Cap- 
tain Bonneville  and  his  party  should  accompany  them  to  their 
camp,  which  they  said  was  close  by.  Instead  of  accepting 
their  invitation  Captain  Bonneville  took  his  departure  with 
all  possible  dispatch,  eager  to  be  out  of  the  vicinity  of  such 
a  piratical  horde ;  nor  did  he  relax  the  dihgenco  of  his  march 
until,  on  the  second  day,  he  reached  the  banks  of  the  Sweet 
Water,  beyond  the  limits  of  the  Crow  country,  and  a  heavy 
fall  of  snow  had  obliterated  all  traces  of  his  course. 

He  now  continued  on  for  some  few  days,  at  a  slower  pace, 
round  the  point  of  the  mountain  toward  Green  River,  and  ar 
rived  once  more  at  the  caches,  on  the  14th  of  October. 

Here  they  found  traces  of  the  band  of  Indians  who  had 
hunted  them  in  the  defile  toward  'he  head-waters  of  Wind 
River.  Having  lost  all  trace  of  them  on  their  way  over  the 
mountains,  they  had  turned  and  followed  back  their  trail 
down  the  Green  River  valley  to  the  caches.  One  of  these 
they  had  discovered  and  broken  open,  but  it  fortunately  con- 
tained nothing  but  fragments  of  old  iron,  which  they  had 
scattered  about  in  all  directions,  and  then  departed.  In  ex- 
amining their  desci*ted  camp.  Captain  Bonneville  discovered 
that  it  numbered  thirty-nine  fires,  and  had  more  reason  than 
ever  to  congratulate  himself  on  having  escaped  the  clutches  ol 
such  a  formidable  band  of  freebooters. 

He  now  turned  his  course  southward,  under  cover  of  the 
mountains,  and  oti  the  25th  of  October  reached  Liberge's  Ford, 
a  tributary  of  the  Colorado,  where  he  came  suddenly  upon  the 
trail  of  this  same  war  party,  which  had  crossed  the  stream  so 
recently  that  the  bankg  were  yet  wet  with  the  water  that  had 
been  splashed  upon  them.  To  judge  from  their  tracks,  they 
could  not  be  leGS  than  three  hundred  warriors,  and  apparently 
of  the  Crow  nation. 

Captain  Bonneville  was  extremely  uneasy  lest  this  over- 
powering force  should  come  upon  him  in  some  place  whore  ho 
would  not  have  the  means  of  fortifying  himnolf  promptly.  Ho 
now  moved  toward  Hanc's  Fork,  another  tributary  of  the  Col- 
orado, where  ho  encamped,  and  remained  during  the  2(Uh  of 
October.    Seeing  a  large  cloud  of  smoke  to  the  south,  ho  sup- 


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170 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


posed  it  to  arise  from  some  encampment  of  Shoshonies,  and 
Bent  scouts  to  procure  information,  and  to  purchase  a  lodge. 
It  was,  in  fact,  a  band  of  Shoshonies,  but  witli  them  were  en- 
camped Fitzpatrick  and  his  party  of  k'appers.  That  active 
leader  had  an  eventful  story  to  relate  of  his  fortunes  in  the 
country  of  the  Crows.  After  parting  with  Captain  Bomieville 
on  the  banks  of  the  Bighorn,  he  made  for  the  west,  to  trap 
upon  Powder  and  Tongue  Rivers.  He  had  between  twenty 
and  thirty  men  with  him,  and  about  one  hundred  horses. "  So 
large  a  cavalcade  could  not  pass  through  the  Crow  country 
without  attracting  the  attention  o^  iia  f  reebooting  hordes.  A 
large  band  of  Crows  were  soon  on  their  traces,  and  came  up 
with  them  on  the  5th  of  September,  just  as  they  had  reached 
Tongue  River.  The  Crow  chief  came  forward  with  great  ap- 
pearance of  friendship,  and  proposed  to  Fitzpatrick  that  they 
should  encamp  together.  The  latter,  however,  not  having  any 
faith  in  Crows,  declined  the  invitation,  and  pitched  his  camp 
three  miles  off.  He  then  rode  over  with  two  or  three  men,  to 
visit  the  Crow  chief,  by  whom  he  was  received  with  great  ap- 
parent cordiality.  In  the  meantii  ,  however,  a  party  of 
young  braves,  who  considered  them  absolved  by  his  distrust 
from  all  scruples  of  honor,  made  a  circuit  privately,  and 
dashed  into  his  encampment.  Captain  Stewart,  who  had  re- 
mained there  in  the  ab,5enee  of  Fitzpatrick,  behaved  with  great 
spirit;  but  the  Crows  were  too  numerous  and  active.  They 
had  got  possession  of  the  camp,  and  soon  made  booty  of  every- 
thing— carrying  off  all  the  horses.  On  their  way  back  they 
met  Fitzpatrick  returning  to  his  camp ;  and  finished  their  ex- 
ploit by  rifling  and  nearly  stripping  him. 

A  negotiation  took  place  between  the  plundered  white  men 
and  the  triumphant  Crows ;  what  eloquence  and  management 
Fitzpatrick  made  use  of  we  do  not  know,  but  he  succeeded  in 
prevailing  upon  the  Crow  chieftain  to  return  him  his  horses 
and  many  of  his  traps,  together  with  his  rifles  and  a  few 
rounds  of  ammunition  for  each  man.  He  then  set  out  with  all 
speed  to  abandon  the  Crow  country,  before  he  should  meet 
with  any  fresh  disasters. 

After  his  departure,  the  consciences  of  some  of  the  most 
orthodox  Crows  pricked  them  sorely  for  ha'^dng  suffered  such 
a  cavalcade  to  escape  out  of  their  hands.  Anxious  to  wipe  off 
so  foul  a  stigma  on  the  reputation  of  the  Crow  nation,  they 
followed  on  his  trail,  nor  quit  hovering  about  him  on  his 
march  until  they  had  stolen  a  number  of  his  best  horses  and 


■ifiir-»4e'?^-v'';. 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


171 


mules.  It  was,  doubtless,  this  same  band  which  came  upon 
the  lonely  trapper  on  the  Popo  Agie,  and  generously  gave  him 
an  old  butfalo  robe  in  exchange  for  his  rifle,  his  traps,  and  all 
his  accoutrements.  Witli  these  anecdotes,  we  sludl,  for  tluj 
present,  take  our  leave  of  the  Crow  country  and  its  vagabond 
chivalry.  <>. 


CHAPTER  XXVin. 

A  REGION  OP  NATURAL  CURIOSITIES— THE  PLAIN  OF  WHITE  CLAY 
— HOT  SPRINGS — THE  BEER  SPRING -DEPAT^TURE  TO  SEEK  THE 
FREE  TRAPPERS — PLAIN  OF  PORTNEUF — LAVA— CHASMS  AND 
GULLIES— BANNECK  INDIANS— THEIR  HUNT  OP  THE  BUFFALO— 
hunters'  feast  —  TRENCHER  HEROES  —  BULLYING  OF  AN  AB- 
SENT FOE— THE  DAMP  COMRADE  —  THE  INDIAN  SPY  — MEETING 
WITH  HODGKISS  —  HIS  ADVENTURES  —  POORDEVIL  INDIANS  — 
TRIUMPH  OF  THE  BANNECKS — BLACKFEET  POLICY    IN  WAR. 

Crossing  an  elevated  ridge,  Captain  Bonneville  now  came 
upon  Bear  River,  which,  from  its  source  to  its  entrance  into 
the  Great  Salt  Lake,  describes  the  figures  of  a  horse-shoe. 
One  of  the  principal  head  waters  of  this  liver,  although  sup- 
posed to  abound  with  beaver,  has  never  been  visited  by  the 
trapper;  rising  among  rugged  mountains,  and  being  barri- 
cadoed  by  fallen  jiine  trees  and  tremendous  precipices. 

Proceeding  down  this  river,  the  party  encamped,  on  the  6tli 
of  November,  at  the  outlet  of  a  lake  about  thirty  miles  long, 
and  from  two  to  three  miles  in  width,  completely  imbedded  in 
low  ranges  of  mountains,  and  connected  with  13ear  River  by 
an  impassable  swamp.  It  is  called  the  Little  Lake,  to  distin- 
guish it  from  the  great  one  of  salt  water. 

On  the  10th  of  November,  Captain  Bonneville  visited  a  place 
in  the  neighborhood  which  is  quite  a  region  of  natural  curiosi- 
ties. An  area  of  about  half  a  mile  square  presents  a  level  sur- 
face of  white  clay  or  fidler's  earth,  perfectly  spotless,  resem- 
bling a  great  slab  of  Parian  mai-ble,  or  a  sheet  of  dazzling 
snow.  The  effect  is  strikingly  beautiful  at  all  times;  in  sum- 
mer, when  it  is  surrounded  with  verdure,  or  in  autumn,  when 
it  contrasts  its  bright  immaculate  surface  with  the  withered 
herbage.  Seen  from  a  distant  eminence,  it  then  shines  like  a 
mirror,  set  in  the  brown  landscape.     Around  this  plain  are 


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172 


ADVENTURICS  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


clustered  numerous  springs  of  various  sizes  and  temperatures. 
One  of  them  of  scalding  heat,  boils  furiously  and  incessantly, 
rising  to  the  height  of  two  or  three  feet.  In  another  phice  there 
is  an  aperture  in  the  earth  from  which  inashes  a  column  of 
steam  that  forms  a  perpetual  cloud.  The  ground  for  some  dis- 
tance around  sounds  hollow,  and  startles  the  solitary  trapper, 
as  he  hears  the  tramp  of  his  horse  giving  the  sound  of  a 
muffled  drum.  He  pictures  to  himself  a  mysterious  gulf  be- 
low, a  place  oZ  hidden  fires,  and  gazes  round  him  with  awe  and 
uneasiness. 

The  mout  noted  curiosity,  however,  of  this  singular  region  is 
the  Beer  Spring,  of  which  trappera  give  wonderful  accounts. 
They  are  said  to  turn  aside  from  their  route  through  the 
country  to  drink  of  its  waters,  with  as  much  eagerness  as  the 
Arab  seeks  some  famous  well  of  the  desert.  Captain  Bonne- 
ville describes  it  as  having  the  taste  of  beer.  His  men  drank 
it  with  avidity,  and  in  copious  draughts.  It  did  not  appear  to 
him  to  possess  any  medicinal  properties,  or  to  produce  any 
peculiar  effects.  The  Indians,  however,  refuse  to  taste  it,  and 
endeavor  to  persuade  the  white  men  from  doing  so. 

We  have  heard  this  also  called  the  Soda  Spring,  and  de- 
scribed as  containing  iron  and  sulphur.  It  probably  possesses 
some  of  the  properties  of  the  Ballstcn  water. 

The  time  had  now  arrived  for  Captain  Bonneville  to  go  in 
quest  of  the  party  of  free  trappers,  detached  in  the  beginning 
of  July,  under  the  command  of  Mr.  Hodgkiss  to  trap  upon  the 
head  waters  of  Salmon  River.  His  intention  was  to  unite 
them  with  the  party  with  which  he  was  at  present  travelling, 
that  all  might  go  into  quarters  together  for  the  winter.  Ac- 
cordingly, on  the  11th  of  November,  he  took  a  temporary 
leave  of  his  band,  appointing  a  rendezvous  on  Snake  Rivei*, 
and,  accompanied  by  three  men,  set  out  upon  his  join*ney.  His 
route  lay  across  the  plain  of  the  Portneuf,  a  tributary  stream 
of  Snake  River,  called  after  an  unfortunate  Canadian  trappoi- 
murdered  by  the  Indians.  The  whole  country  through  which 
he  passed,  bore  evidence  of  volcanic  convulsions  and  confla- 
gi-ations  in  the  olden  time.  Great  masses  of  lava  lay  scattered 
ab«iut  in  every  direction :  the  crags  and  cliffs  had  apparently 
been  under  the  action  of  fire ;  the  rocks  in  some  places  seemed 
to  have  been  in  a  state  of  fusion ;  the  plain  was  rent  and  split 
with  deep  chasms  and  guUies,  some  of  which  were  partly  filled 
with  lava. 

They  had  not  proceeded  far,  however,  before  they  saw  a 


lil'^ 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


173 


party  of  horsemen  galloping  full  tilt  toward  theni.  Tbcy 
instantly  turned,  and  made  full  speed  for  the  covert  of  a 
^voody  stream,  to  fortify  themselves  among  the  trees.  The 
Indians  came  to  a  halt,  and  one  of  them  came  forward  alone. 
He  reached  Captain  Bonneville  and  his  men  just  as  they  were 
dismounting  and  about  to  pest  themselves.  A  few  words 
dispelled  all  uneasiness.  It  was  a  party  of  twenty-five  Ban- 
nock Indians,  friendly  to  the  whites,  and  they  proiJosed, 
through  their  envoy,  that  both  parties  should  encamp  to- 
gether, and  hunt  the  buffalo,  of  which  they  had  discovered 
several  large  herds  hard  by.  Captain  Bonneville  clieeriidly 
assented  to  their  proposition,  being  curious  to  see  their  man- 
ner of  hunting. 

Both  parties  accordingly  encamped  together  on  a  convenient 
spot,  and  prepared  for  the  hunt.  The  Indians  first  ])osted  a 
boy  on  a  small  hill  near  the  camp,  to  keep  a  lt)okout  for 
enemies.  The  "runners,"  then,  as  they  are  called,  mounted 
on  fleet  horses,  and  armed  with  bows  and  arrows,  moved 
slowly  and  cautiously  toward  the  buffalo,  keepmg  as  much  as 
possible  out  of  sight,  in  hollows  and  ravines.  When  with  in 
a  proper  distance,  a  signal  was  given,  and  they  all  opened  at 
once  like  a  pack  of  hounds,  with  a  full  chorus  of  yells,  dashing 
into  the  midst  of  tlie  herds,  and  launching  their  arrows  to  the 
right  and  left.  The  plain  seemed  absolutely  to  shake  under 
the  tramp  of  the  buflalo,  as  they  scoured  off.  The  cows  in 
headlong  panic,  the  bulls  furious  with  rage,  uttering  deep 
roars,  and  occasionally  turning  with  a  desperate  rush  upon 
their  pursuers.  Nothing  could  surpass  the  spir.'t,  grace,  and 
dexterity,  with  which  the  Indians  managed  their  horses; 
wheeling  and  coursing  among  the  affrighted  herd,  and  launch- 
ing their  arrows  with  unerring  aim.  In  the  midst  of  the 
apparent  confusion,  they  selected  their  victims  with  perfect 
judgment,  generally  aiming  at  the  fattest  of  the  cows,  the 
flesh  of  the  bull  being  nearly  worthless  at  this  season  of  the 
year.  In  a  few  minutes,  each  of  the  himters  had  crip])led 
three  or  four  cows.  A  single  shot  was  sufficient  for  the  pur- 
pose, and  the  animal,  once  maimed,  was  left  to  be  completely 
dispatched  at  the  end  of  the  (.base.  Frequently  a  cow  was 
killed  on  the  spot  by  a  single  arrow.  In  one  instance,  Captain 
Bonneville  saw  an  Indian  shoot  his  arrow  comi)letcly  through 
the  body  of  a  cow,  so  that  it  struck  in  the  ground  beyond. 
The  bulls,  however,  are  not  so  easily  killed  as  the  cows,  and 
always  cost  the  hunter  several  arrows,  sometimes  making 


iif 


174 


ADVENTURES  OF  CArTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


Hi  «^ 


'I  ■ 

■V 


^  ! 


battle  upon  the  horses,  and  chasinpj  them  furiously,  though 
severely  wounded,  with  the  darts  still  sticking  in  their  flesh. 

Tlie  grand  scamper  of  the  hunt  being  over,  the  Indians 
proceeded  to  dispatch  the  animals  that  had  been  disabled; 
then  cutting  up  the  carcasses,  they  returned  with  loads  of 
meat  to  the  camp,  where  the  choicest  pieces  were  soon  roast- 
ing before  large  fires,  and  a  hunters'  feast  succeeded;  at  which 
Ciiptain  Bonneville  and  his  men  were  qualified,  by  previous 
fasting,  to  perform  their  parts  with  great  vigor. 

Some  men  are  said  to  wax  valorous  upon  a  full  stomach, 
and  such  seemed  to  be  the  case  with  the  Banneck  brav(;s, 
who,  in  proportion  as  they  crammed  themselves  with  buffalo 
meat,  grew  stout  of  heart,  until,  the  supper  at  an  end,  tliey 
began  to  chant  war  songs,  setting  forth  their  mighty  deeds, 
and  tlie  victories  they  had  gained  over  the  Blackfeet.  "Warm- 
ing with  the  theme,  and  inflating  themselves  with  their  own 
eulogies,  these  magnanimous  heroes  of  the  trencher  would 
start  up,  advance  a  short  distance  beyond  the  Ught  of  the 
fires,  and  apostrophize  most  vehemently  their  Blackfeet 
enemies,  as  though  they  had  been  within  hearing.  Euffling 
and  swelling,  and  snorting,  and  slapping  their  breasts,  and 
brandishing  their  arms,  they  would  vociferate  all  their  ex- 
ploits; reminding  the  Blackfeet  how  they  had  drenched  tlieir 
towns  in  tears  and  blood;  enumerate  the  blows  they  had 
inflicted,  the  warriors  they  had  slain,  the  scalps  they  had 
brought  off  in  triumph.  Then,  having  said  everything  that 
could  stir  a  man's  spleen  or  pique  his  valor,  they  would  dai'o 
their  im.aginary  hearers,  now  that  the  Bannecks  were  few  in 
number,  to  come  and  take  their  revenge— receiving  no  reply 
to  this  valorous  bravado,  they  would  conchide  by  all  kinds  of 
sneers  and  insults,  deriding  the  Blackfeet  for  dastards  and 
poltroons,  that  dared  not  accept  th.eir  challenge.  Such  is  tho 
kind  of  swaggering  and  rhodomontade  in  which  tlie  "rod 
men"  are  prone  to  indulge  in  their  v; inglorious  moments;  for, 
with  all  th(ur  vaunted  taciturnity,  they  are  vehemently  prone 
at  times  to  become  eloquent  about  their  exploits,  and  to  sound 
tlunr  own  trumpet. 

Having  vented  their  valor  in  this  fierce  efTervoscence,  the 
Banneck  braves  gradually  calmed  down,  lowered  their  crests, 
SMKM^thed  thoif  niffled  fe;ithers,  nnd  betook  tlu>mselves  to 
sle(>i\  witliout  placing  a  single  gunrd  ovct  their  cainp;  so  that, 
had  the  Blackfeet  taken  them  at  their  word,  but  few  of  llieao 
braggart  heroes  might  have  survived  for  any  further  boasting. 


;?[  i 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


175 


On  the  following  morning,  Captain  Bonneville  purchasod  a 
supply  of  buffalo  meat  from  his  braggadocio  friends;  who. 
with  all  their  vaporing,  were  in  fact  a  very  forlorn  horde, 
destitute  of  firearms,  and  of  almost  everything  that  consti- 
tutes riches  in  savnge  life.  The  bargain  concluded,  the  Ban- 
necks  set  off  for  their  village,  which  was  situated,  they  said, 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Portneiif,  and  Captain  Bonneville  and  his 
companions  shaped  their  course  toward  Siialce  Kiver. 

Arrived  on  the  banks  of  that  river,  he  found  it  rapid  and 
boisterous,  but  not  too  deep  to  be  forded.  In  traversing  it,  how- 
ever, one  of  the  horses  was  swept  suddenly  from  his  footing, 
and  Ills  rider  was  flung  from  the  saddle  into  the  midst  of  the 
stream.  Both  horse  and  hor;-'  ■  •  nan  were  extricated'without  any 
damage,  excepting  that  the  latter  was  completely  drenched,  so 
that  it  was  r.e^'essary  to  kindle  a  fire  to  dry  him.  While  they 
were  thus  occupied,  one  of  the  party  looking  up,  perceived  an 
Indian  scout  cautiously  reconnoitring  them  fi-om  the  siimmit 
of  a  neighboring  hill.  The  moment  he  found  himself  discov- 
ered, he  disappeared  behind  the  hill.  From  his  furtive  move- 
ments, Captain  Bonneville  suspected  him  to  be  a  scout  from 
tlie  Blackfeet  camp,  and  that  he  had  gone  to  report  what  ho 
had  seen  to  his  companions.  It  would  not  do  to  loiter  in  such 
a  neighborhood,  so  the  kindling  of  the  fire  was  abandoned,  the 
drenched  horseman  mounted  in  dripping  condition,  and  the 
little  band  pushed  forward  directly  into  the  plain,  going  at  a 
smart  pace,  until  they  had  gained  a  considei'able  distance  from 
the  place  of  supposed  danger.  Here  encamping  for  the  night, 
in  the  midst  of  abimdance  of  sage,  or  wormwood,  which  af- 
forded fodder  for  their  horses,  they  kindled  a  hugp  fire  for  the 
benefit  of  their  damp  comrade,  and  then  procee  led  to  prepare  a 
sumptuous  supper  of  buffal<i  humps  and  ribs,  and  other  chc^ice 
bits,  which  they  had  brought  with  them.  After  a  hearty  re- 
]>ast,  relished  with  an  appctiti^  iniknovvn  to  city  ei)icur(^s,  they 
stretch(>d  themselves  ui)on  tlu'ir  couches  of  skins,  and  uM^h'r 
the  starry  canopy  (rf  heaven,  (sujoyed  the  sound  and  sweet  sl<*"p 
of  hardy  and  well-fed  mountaineers. 

They  continued  on  their  journey  for  several  days,  without 
any  incident  worthy  of  notice,  and  on  the  IDth  of  November, 
came  upon  traces  of  the  party  of  which  they  Avci-e  in  seareh ; 
snrh  as  burned  patches  of  prairie,  and  dcsei'ted  cainj)ing 
grotmds.  All  th«>s(>  were  carc^fully  examined,  to  dis('o\er,  by 
their  freshness  or  anticpiity  the  i)robahle  time  that  the  trap- 
pers had  left  them;  at  length,  after  much  wandering  and  in- 


i 

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]76         ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 

vestigating,  they  came  upon  the  regular  trail  of  the  hunting 
party,  which  led  into  the  mountains,  and  following  it  .ip 
briskly,  came  about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the;::'(;lh, 
upon  the  encamj.ment  of  Ilodgkis.s  and  his  band  of  free  trap- 
jjcrs,  in  the  bosom  of  a  mountain  valley. 

It  will  be  recollected  that  these  free  trappers,  who  were 
masters  of  themselves  and  their  movements,  had  refused  to 
accompany  Captain  Bonneville  back  to  Green  River  in  tlic 
preceding  month  of  July,  i^ref erring  to  trap  about  the  upper 
waters  of  the  Salmon  River,  where  they  expected  to  find 
plenty  of  beaver,  and  a  less  dangerous  neighborhood.  Their 
hunt  had  not  been  very  successful.  They  had  penetrated  the 
great  range  of  mountains  among  which  some  of  the  ujJiJcr 
branches  of  Salmon  River  take  their  rise,  but  had  become  so 
entangled  amc^ng  immense  and  almost  im}iassable  barricadc^s 
of  fallen  pines,  and  so  imjieded  by  trcmend(Uis  precipices,  lliat 
a  great  part  of  their  season  Irid  be(!n  wasted  among  these 
mountains.  At  one  time  they  had  made  tlieir  way  througli 
them,  and  reached  the  Boisee  River;  bat  meeting  with  a  band 
of  Banneck  Indians,  from  ^vhom  they  apprehended  hostilities, 
they  had  again  taken  shelter  among  the  mountains,  wh(>re 
they  were  found  by  Cai>tain  Bonneville.  In  tlie  neighborhood 
of  tlieir  encampment,  the  captain  had  the  good  fortune  to  meet 
with  a  family  of  those  wanderers  of  the  mt^untains,  (>m])hatica]]y 
called  "les  dignes  de  pitie,"  or  Poordevil  Indians.  These,  how- 
ever, appear  to  have  forfeited  the  title,  for  they  h;id  with  them 
a  fine  lot  of  skins  of  beaver,  elk,  deer,  and  mountain  sheej). 
These,  Captain  Bonneville  purchased  from  tliematn  fair  valua- 
tion, and  sent  tliem  off  astonishe<l  at  thnr  own  wealth,  and  no 
doubt  objects  of  envy  to  all  their  pitiful  tribe. 

Being  now  nnnforced  by  Hodgkiss  and  his  l)and  of  free  trap- 
pers, Captain  Bonneville  put  himself  at  the  head  of  th(^  united 
parties,  and  set  out  to  re-join  tliose  he  had  recently  left  at  the 
Be(U*  Spring  that  they  might  all  go  into  winter  quarters  on 
Snake  River.  On  this  I'oute,  lie  encountered  many  heavy  falln 
of  snow,  which  melted  almost  innnediatc^ly,  so  as  not  to  impede 
his  march,  and  on  the  4th  (^f  December,  he  found  hiF.  other 
pai'ty,  encam])cd  at  the  vciy  ]ilace  where  ho  had  partaken  in 
the  biilhilo  hunt  with  tlie  Baiii'.eeks. 

That  b '.'iggart  horde  w;is  ene.uupud  but  about  three  miles  off, 
and  were  just  then  in  hi^'h  glee  and  festivity,  and  more  swag- 
gering than  ever,  celebrating  a  prodigious  victory.  It  a])peared 
that  a  party  of  their  braves  being  out  on  a  hunting  excursion, 


ADVENTUHES  of  captain  UONyEVILLlJ. 


Ill 


III 


discovered  a  band  of  Blackfcet  moving,  as  tlicy  tliouij^lit,  to 
surprise  their  hunting  camp.  Tho  Ua'inecks  immediately 
posted  themselves  on  each  side  of  a  dark  ravine,  through 
which  the  enemy  must  pass,  and,  just  as  thoy  were  entangled 
in  the  midst  of  it,  attacked  them  with  gn^at  fury.  The  Black- 
feet,  struck  with  sudden  panic,  threw  olr  their  buffalo  robes 
and  fled,  leaving  one  oL"  their  warriors  dead  on  the  spot.  The 
victoi'S  eagerly  gathered  up  the  spoils ;  but  their  greatest  prize 
was  the  scalp  of  the  Blackfoot  brave.  This  they  bore  off  in 
triumph  to  the  village,  where  it  had  ever  since  been  an  object 
of  the  gr(!ateot  exidtvilion  and  rejoicing.  It  iiad  been  elevated 
upon  a  pole  in  the  centre  of  the  village,  vv'here  the  v.  iiri-lors 
had  celebrated  the  scalp  dance  round  it,  with  war  feasts,  war 
songs,  and  warlike  harangae:^.  It  had  then  been  given  up  to 
the  women  and  boys;  who  had  paraded  it  up  and  down  the 
village  with  shouts  and  chants  and  antic  dances;  occasionally 
saluting  it  with  all  kinds  of  taunts,  invectives,  and  revilings. 

The  Blackfcet,  in  this  affair,  do  not  ajipear  to  have  acted  up 
to  the  character  which  has  rendered  them  objects  of  such  ter- 
ror. Indeed,  their  conduct  in  war,  t<^  the  inexperienced  (.>!> 
server  is  full  of  inconsistencies,  at  one  time  they  are  headlong 
in  courage,  and  heedless  of  danger;  at  another  time  cautious 
almost  to  cowardice.  To  understand  these  apparent  incongru- 
ities, one  must  know  their  principles  of  warfare.  A  wai*  party, 
however  triumphant,  if  they  lose  a  warrior  in  the  fight,  bring 
back  a  cause  of  modrning  to  their  people,  which  casts  a  shade 
over  the  glory  of  their  achievement.  Hence,  the  Indian  is 
often  less  fierce  and  reckh^ss  in  general  l)attl;»  than  lie  is  in  a 
private  brawl ;  and  the  chiefs  are  chocked  in  their  boldest  un- 
dertakings by  the  fear  of  snCi'ificing  tlieir  wari'ioi'S. 

This  peculiarity  is  not  confined  to  tho  Bhickfeet.  Among  tho 
Osages,  says  Captain  l)onn<>vill(\  when  a  warrior  falls  in  battle, 
his  comrades,  though  they  hav(^  fought  with  consummate  valor, 
and  won  a  glorious  victory,  will  lea^•e  tludr  arms  uj)on  the  fi<*ld 
of  battle,  and  returm'ng  houK^  with  dejcctod  countenances,  will 
halt  without  the  encampiuent,  and  wait  unt'l  the  relatives  of 
tho  slain  como  forth  and  invite  them  to  mingle  again  with 
their  people. 


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178         ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


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' 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

A^ INTER  CAMP  AT  THE  PORTNEUF — FINE  SPRINGS — THE  BANNECK 
INDIANS- THEIR  HONESTY-  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE  PREPARES 
FOR  AN  EXPEDITION— CHRISTMAS— THE  AMERICAN  FALLS—WILD 
SCENERY — FISHING  PALLS — SNAKE  INDIANS— SCENERY  ON  THE 
BRUNEAU — VIEW  OF  VOLCANIC  COUNTRY  FROM  A  MOUNTAIN — 
POWDER  RIVER— SHOSHOKOES,  OR  ROOT  DIGGERS— THEIR  CHAR- 
ACTER, HABITS,  HABITATIONS,  DOGS — VANITY  AT  ITS  LAST  SHIFT. 

In  establishing  his  winter  camp  near  the  Portneiif,  Captain 
Bonneville  had  drawn  off  to  some  little  distance  from  his  Ban- 
neck  friends,  to  avoid  all  annoyance  from  their  intimacy  or 
intrusi(  )ns.  In  so  doing,  however,  he  had  been  obliged  to  take 
up  his  (Quarters  on  the  extreme  edge  of  the  flat  land,  where  he 
was  encompassed  with  ice  and  snow,  and  had  notliing  better 
for  his  horses  to  subsist  on  than  wormwood.  The  l>annccks, 
on  the  contrary,, were  encamped  among  fine  springs  of  water, 
where  there  was  grass  in  abundance.  Some  of  these  sprin.rs 
gush  out  of  the  earth  in  sufficient  (juantity  to  tui'n  a  mill ;  and 
furnish  beautiful  streams,  clear  as  crystal,  and  full  of  trout  of 
a  Large  size;  which  may 'be  seen  darting  about  the  transparent 
water. 

Winter  now  set  in  regularly.  The  snow  had  fallen  fn;- 
queiitly,  and  in  large  (quantities,  :vnd  covered  the  ground  to  tlie 
dei)th  of  a  foot ;  and  the  v'ontinued  coldness  of  the  weather  pre- 
vented any  thaw. 

By  degrees,  a  distrust  which  at  first  subsisted  between  the 
Indians  and  the  trappei's,  subsided,  and  gave  way  to  mutual 
confidence  and  good-will.  A  few  presents  convinced  the  chiefs 
■liat  the  whit(i  men  were  their  friends;  nor  wore  the  white  men 
w.'inting  in  proofs  of  the  honesty  and  good  faith  of  their  savage 
neighbors.  Occasionally,  the  deep  snow  and  the  want  of  fod- 
der obliged  them  to  turn  tlKnr  w(*akest  horses  out  to  roam  in 
(juest  of  sustenance.  If  they  at  any  time  strayed  to  the  cam]> 
of  the  Bannecks,  th(>y  were  immediately  bi-ought  back.  It 
must  be  confessed,  however,  th;»t  if  i]\o  stray  hoi-se  happened, 
by  any  chance,  to  be  in  vigorous  plight  and  good  ((OKlition, 
though  he  was  cijually  sure  to  be  returned  by  tlie  honest  Bail' 


r'v'^n 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


179 


necks,  yet  it  was  always  after  the  lapse  of  several  clays,  and  in 
a  very  gaunt  and  jaded  state;  and  always  with  the  remark 
that  tliey  ha'^  found  him  a  long  way  otf.  The  uncharitable 
were  apt  to  surmise  that  he  had,  in  the  interim,  been  well  used 
up  in  a  buffalo  hunt;  but  those  accustomed  to  Indian  mo  ..'ity 
in  the  matter  of  horseflesh,  considered  it  a  singidar  evidence  of 
honesty  that  he  should  be  brought  back  at  all. 

Being  convinced,  therefore,  from  these,  and  other  circum- 
stances, that  his  people  were  encamped  in  the  neighborhood  oi 
a  tribe  as  honest  as  they  were  valiant,  and  satisfied  Jiat  they 
would  pass  their  winter  unmolested.  Captain  Bonii.nille  pie- 
j)ared  for  a  reconnoitring  expedition  of  gi*eat  extent  and  ])e]il. 
This  was,  to  penet?*ate  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  establ  ,'hments  (m 
the  banks  of  the  Columbia,  and  to  make  himt  :i  licquainted 
with  the  country  and  the  Indian  tribes;  it  being  one  part  of  his 
scheme  to  establish  a  trading  post  somewhere  on  the  lower 
part  of  the  river,  so  as  to  participate  in  the  tiade  lost  to  the 
United  States  by  the  cai)ture  of  Astoria.  This  expedition 
would,  of  course,  take  him  through  the  Snake  River  country, 
and  across  the  Blue  Mountains,  the  scenes  of  so  much  hardship 
and  disaster  to  Hunt  and  Crooks,  and  their  Astorian  bands, 
who  first  exj)lored  it,  and  he  would  have  to  pas  3  thi'ough  it  in 
the  same  frightful  season,  the  depth  of  winter. 

The  idea  of  risk  and  hardship,  liowever,  only  served  to  stim- 
ulate the  adventurous  spirit  of  the  captain.  He  chose  three 
companions  for  his  journey,  put  up  a  small  stock  of  necessaries 
in  the  most  portable  form,  and  selected  five  horses  and  mules 
for  theinselves  and  their  baggago.  He  proposed  to  rejoin  his 
band  in  the  early  i)art  of  March,  at  the  winter  encampnunt 
near  the  Portneuf.  All  these  arrangements  being  com] )l('led, 
he  mounted  his  horse  on  Christmas  morning,  and  set  off  with 
his  three  comrades.  They  halted  a  little  beyond  tlie  Bannc^ck 
camp,  and  made  their  Christmas  dinner,  which,  if  not  a  very 
merry,  was  a  very  hearty  one,  after  which  they  resumed  tlieir 
journey. 

They  Avero  obliged  to  travel  slowly,  to  spare  their  horees ;  for 
llie  snow  hnd  increased  in  depth  to  eighteen  inches;  and 
though  somewhat  packed  and  frozen,  was  not  sufliciently  so  to 
yield  firm  footing.  Their  route  lay  to  tlio  west,  down  along 
t!'e  left  side  of  Snnke  Kiver;  and  they  wer(»  several  days  in 
reaching  tlu^  first,  or  American  Foils.  The  banks  oS  the  river, 
for  a  considerable*  distance,  both  nbov(»  and  below  the  falls, 
have  a  volcanic  character;  masses  of  basaltic  rock  are  piled 


<ilii 


i 


180 


ADVENTURES   OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


Illi 


U: 


one  upon  another;  the  water  niakon  its  way  through  their 
broken  chasms,  boiUng  tlirough  narrow  channels,  or  pitching 
in  beautiful  cascades  over  ridgcjs  of  basaltic  colunms. 

Beyond  these  falls,  they  came  to  a  picUir(3S(|ue,  but  incon- 
siderable stream,  called  the  Cassie.  It  runs  through  a  level 
valley,  about  four  miles  wide,  where  the  soil  is  good ;  but  the 
prevalent  coldness  and  dryness  of  the  climate  is  unfavorable  to 
vegetation.  Near  to  this  stream  there  is  a  small  mountain  of 
mica  slate,  including  garnets.  Granite,  in  small  blocks,  is 
likewise  seen  in  tliis  neighborhood,  and  white  sandstone. 
I'rom  this  i-iver,  the  travellers  had  a  jtrospect  of  the  snowy 
heights  of  the  Salmon  Kiver  Mountains  to  the  north;  the 
nearest,  at  least  fifty  miles  distant. 

In  pui'suing  his  course  westward,  Ca])tain  Bonneville  gener- 
ally kept  several  miles  from  Snake  Eivcr,  crossing  the  lu^ads 
of  its  tributary  streams;  though  lie  often  found  the  open  coim- 
try  so  encumbered  by  volcanic  rodcs,  as  to  render  travelling 
extremely  difficidt.  "VVhentn'cr  he  approached  Snake  River, 
he  found  it  running  through  a  broad  chasm,  with  steep,  per- 
pendicular sides  of  basaltic  rock.  After  several  days'  travel 
across  a  level  plain,  he  came  to  a  part  of  the  river  which  filled 
hmi  with  astonishment  and  admiration.  As  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach,  the  river  was  walled  in  by  perpendi(nilar  cliffs 
two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high,  beetling  like  dark  and  gloomy 
battlements,  while  bloclcs  and  fragments  lay  in  masses  at  their 
feet,  in  the  midst  of  the  boihng  and  whirling  current.  Just 
above,  the  whole  stream  jntclied  in  one  cascade  above  forty 
feet  in  height,  with  a  thundenng  sound,  casting  up  a  vokime 
of  spray  that  hung  in  the  aii-  lik(!  a  silvc^r  mist.  These  are 
called  by  some  the  Fishing  trails,  as  the  salmon  are  taken  here 
in  immense  quantitioR.     They  cannot  get  by  these  falls. 

After  encanii)ing  at  this  place  all  night,  Captain  Ilonneville, 
at  sunrise,  descended  witli  his  party  through  a  narrow  ravine, 
or  rather  crevice,  in  the  vast  wall  of  bas-altic  n-ek  which  bor- 
dered the  river;  this  bcMiig  tlu>  only  mode,  for  many  miles,  of 
g(>ttiiig  to  the  margin  of  the  stream. 

The  snow  lay  in  a  thin  erust  along  the  banks  of  the  river,  so 
that  their  travelling  was  much  more  easy  than  it  had  been 
hitherto.  There  were  foot  ti'acks,  also,  made  by  the  natives, 
which  greatly  faeilitat(:d  fheir  progress.  Occasionally,  they 
met  the  inhabitants  of  tliis  wild  region;  a  timid  race,  and  but 
scanf  ily  ]>rovid('d  witli  the  nfvessai'ics  of  life.  Their  d'esf.  con- 
sisted of  a  m.intle  about  four  feet  siiuare.  formed  of  strips  of 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


181 


rabbit  skins  sowed  together;  this  they  hung  over  tlieir  shoul- 
ders, in  the  ordinary  Indian  mode  of  wearing  the  blanket. 
Their  weapons  were  bows  and  arrows;  the  latter  tipped  with 
obsidian,  which  abounds  in  the  neighborhood.  Their  huts  were 
shaped  like  hay,-tacks,  and  constructed  of  branches  of  willow 
covered  with  long  grass,  so  as  to  be  waim  and  comfortable. 
Occasionally,  tliey  were  surrounded  by  small  inclosures  of 
wormwood,  about  three  feet  high,  which  gave  thera  a  cottage- 
like appearance.  Three  or  four  of  these  tenements  were  oc- 
casionally grouped  together  in  some  v/ild  and  striking  situa- 
tion, and  had  a  picturesque  effect.  Sometimes  they  were  in 
sufficient  number  to  form  a  small  hamlet.  From  these  peoi^lo 
Cai)tain  Bonneville's  parLy  frequently  purchased  salmon,  dried 
in  an  admirabl )  manner,  as  were  lilvcwise  the  roes.  This 
seemed  to  be  their  prime  article  of  food;  but  they  were  ex- 
tvemely  anxious  to  get  bulialo  meat  in  exchange. 

The  high  walls  and  rocks,  within  which  the  travellers  had 
been  so  long  inclosed,  now  occasionally  presented  openings, 
through  which  they  were  enabled  to  ascend  to  the  plain,  and 
to  cut  off  considerable  bends  of  the  river. 

Throughout  the  wliole  extent  of  this  vast  and  singidar  chasm, 
the  scenery  of  the  river  is  said  to  be  of  the  most  wild  and  ro- 
mantic character.  The  rocks  present  every  variety  of  masses 
and  grouping.  Numerous  small  streams  come  rushing  and 
boiling  through  narrow  clefts  and  ravines ;  one  of  a  consideral)lo 
size  issued  from  the  face  of  a  precipice,  wii.hin  twenty-five  feet 
of  its  summit;  and  after  running  in  nearly  a  hovi/.ontal  line  for 
about  one  hundred  feet,  fell,  by  numerous  small  cascades,  to 
the  rocky  bank  of  the  river. 

In  its  career  through  this  vast  and  singular  defile.  Snake 
River  is  upward  of  three  hundred  yards  wide,  and  as  clear  as 
spring  water.  Sometimes  it  steals  along  with  a  tranquil  and 
noiseless  course;  at  other  times,  for  miles  and  miles,  it  daslios 
on  in  a  thousand  rapids,  wild  and  beautiful  to  the  eye,  and 
hdling  the  ear  with  the  soft  timiult  of  plasliing  waters. 

Many  of  the  tributary  streams  of  Snake  River,  rival  it  in  the 
wikhiess  and  picturesqueness  of  their  scenery.  That  called  tlio 
I  >runeau  is  particularly  cited.  It  runs  through  a  tremendous 
citasm,  rather  than  a  valley,  extending  upward  of  a  hundi-od 
and  fU'iy  miles.  You  conu^  upon  it  on  a  sudd(ni,  in  ti-averslng 
a  lovel  ]ilain.  It  seems  an  if  you  could  tlu'ow  a  f;tone  a,cro;;s 
from  cliil"  to  clitf;  yd,  the  valV\y  is  ne;ir  two  tliousaiMl  f(H't 
deej);  so  tliat  the  river  looks  like  an  inconsiderable  stream. 


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182 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


', .  's, 


Basaltic  rocks  rise  perpendicularly,  so  that  it  is  impossible  to 
get  from  the  plain  to  the  water,  or  from  the  river  margin  to 
the  plain.  The  current  is  blight  and  limpid.  Hot  springs  are 
found  on  the  borders  of  this  river.  One  bursts  out  of  the  clilfs 
forty  feet  above  the  river  in  a  stream  sufHcient  to  turn  a  mill, 
and  sends  up  a  cloud  of  vapor. 

We  find  a  characteristic  picture  of  this  volcanic  region  of 
mountains  and  streams,  furnished  by  the  journal  of  Mr. 
Wyeth,  which  lies  before  us;  who  ascended  a  peak  in  the 
neighborhood  we  are  describing.  From  this  summit,  the  coun- 
try, he  says,  appears  an  indescribable  chaos;  the  tops  of  the 
hills  exhibit  the  same  strata  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach ;  and 
appear  to  have  once  formed  the  level  of  the  country ;  and  the 
valleys  to  be  formed  by  the  sinking  of  the  earth,  rathei"  than 
the  rising  of  the  hills.  Through  the  deep  cracks  and  chasms 
thus  formed,  the  rivers  and  brooks  make  their  way,  which 
renders  it  difficult  to  follow  them.  All  these  basaltic  channels 
are  called  cut  rocks  by  the  trappers.  Many  of  the  mountain 
streams  disappear  in  the  plains;  either  absorbed  by  their 
thirsty  soil,  and  by  the  porous  surface  of  the  lava,  or  swallowed 
up  in  gulfs  and  chasms. 

On  the  12th  of  January  (1834),  Captain  Bonneville  reached 
Powder  River ;  much  the  largest  stream  that  he  had  seen  since 
leaving  the  Portneuf.  He  struck  it  about  three  miles  above 
its  entrance  into  Snake  River.  Hero  l.e  found  himself  above 
the  lower  narrows  and  defiles  of  the  latter  riv^er,  and  in  an 
open  and  level  country.  The  natives  now  made  their  appear 
anco  in  considerable  numbers,  and  evinced  the  most  insatiable 
curiosity  respecting  the  white  men;  sitting  in  groups  for  hours 
together,  exposed  to  the  bleakest  winds,  merely  for  the  pleas- 
ure of  gazing  upon  the  strangers,  and  watching  every  move- 
ment. These  are  of  that  branch  of  the  great  Snake  tribe 
called  Shoshokoes,  or  Root  Diggers,  from  their  subsisting,  in  a 
great  measure,  on  the  roots  of  the  earth ;  though  they  likewise 
take  fish  in  great  quantities,  and  hunt,  in  a  small  way.  Tlu^y 
are,  in  general,  very  poor;  destitute  of  most  of  the  comforts  oi 
life,  and  extremely  indolent;  but  a  mild,  inoffensive  race. 
They  differ,  in  many  resjiects,  from  the  other  branch  of  the 
Snake  tribe,  the  ShoslKjnies;  who  possess  horses,  are  more 
roving  and  adventurous,  and  hunt  the  buffalo. 

On  the  following  day,  as  Captain  Bonneville  approached  the 
mouth  of  ]\)wJer  River,  he  discovered  at  least  a  hundred  fami- 
lies of  these  Diggers,  as  they  are  familiarly  called,  assemliled 


i  i 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


183 


in  one  placo.  The  women  and  children  kept  at  a  distance, 
perched  among  the  rocks  and  cUfls ;  their  eager  curiosity  being 
somewhat  dashed  with  fear.  From  their  elevated  jiosts,  they 
scrutinized  the  strangers  with  the  most  intense  earnestness; 
regarding  them  with  almost  as  much  awe  as  if  they  had  been 
btiings  of  a  supernatural  order. 

The  men,  however,  were  by  no  means  so  shy  aiid  reserved ; 
but  importuned  Captain  Bonneville  and  his  companions  exces- 
sively by  their  curiosity.  Nothing  escaped  their  notice;  and 
any  thing  they  could  lay  their  hands  on,  underwent  tiie  most 
minute  examination.  To  get  rid  of  such  in(piisitive  neighbors, 
the  travellers  kept  on  for  a  considerable  distance,  before  they 
encamped  for  tlie  night. 

The  country,  hereabout,  was  generally  level  and  sandy ;  pro- 
ducing very  little  grass,  but  a  considerable  quantity  of  sage  or 
wormwood.  The  plains  were  diversified  by  isolated  hills,  all 
cut  oft"  as  it  were,  about  the  same  height,  so  as  to  have  tabular 
summits.  In  this  they  resembled  the  isolated  hills  of  the  great 
prairies,  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains ;  esi^ecially  those  found 
on  the  plairxS  of  the  Arkansas. 

The  high  precipices  Avhich  had  hitherto  walled  in  the  chan- 
nel of  F\..ke  River  had  now  disappeared;  and  the  banks  were 
of  the  ordinary  height.  It  should  be  observed,  that  the  great 
valleys  or  plains,  through  which  the  Snake  River  wound  its 
course,  were  generally  of  great  breadth,  extending  on  each  side 
from  thirty  to  forty  miles;  where  the  view  was  bounded  by 
unbroken  ridges  of  mountains. 

The  travellers  found  but  little  snow  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Powder  River,  though  the  weather  continued  intensely  cold. 
They  learned  a  lesson,  however,  from  their  forlorn  friends,  the 
Root  Diggers,  which  they  subsequently  found  of  great  service 
in  their  wintry  wanderings.  They  frequently  observed  them 
to  be  furnished  with  long  ropes,  twisted  from  the  bark  of  the 
wormwood.  This  they  used  as  a  slow  match,  carrying  it 
always  lighted.  Whenever  they  wished  to  warm  themselves, 
they  would  gather  together  a  little  dry  wormwood,  apply  the 
match,  and  in  an  instant  pi'oduco  a  cheering  blaze. 

Captain  B<mneville  gives  a  cheerless  account  of  a  villngeof 
these  Diggers,  which  he  saw  in  crossing  the  plain  l)(>low  T^ow- 
der  River.  "They  live,"  says  he,  "without  any  further  pro- 
tection from  the  inclcmenc^y  of  the  season,  than  a  sort  of 
breakweather,  ahout  tlu*eo  feet  high,  composed  of  snge  (or 
wormwood),  and  erected  around  them  in  the  shape  of  a  \mU 


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184         ADVENTURES  OF  CAI'TAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


» 


moon.  "  Whenever  ho  met  with  them,  however,  they  had  al- 
ways a  large  suite  of  half -starved  dogs ;  for  these  aninials,  in 
savMge  as  well  as  in  civilized  life,  seem  to  be  the  concomitants 
of  beggary. 

These  dogs,  it  must  be  allowed,  were  of  more  use  than  the 
beggarly  curs  of  cities.  The  Indian  children  used  them  in 
hunting  the  small  game  of  the  neighborhood,  such  as  rabbits 
and  prairie  dogs;  in  which  mongrel  kind  of  chase  they  ac- 
quitted themselves  with  some  credit. 

Sometimes  the  Diggers  aspire  to  a  nobler  game,  and  succeed 
in  entrapping  the  antelope,  the  fleetest  animal  of  the  prairies. 
The  process  by  which  this  is  elfticted  is  somewhat  singular. 
When  the  snow  has  disappeared,  says  Captain  Bonneville,  and 
the  ground  become  soft,  the  women  go  into  the  thickest  fields 
of  wormwood,  and  pulling  it  up  in  great  quantities,  construct 
with  it  a  hedge  about  three  feet  high,  inclosing  about  a  hundred 
acres.  A  single  oj^cning  is  left  for  tlie  adniission  of  the  game. 
This  done,  the  women  conceal  themselves  behind  the  v/orm- 
wood,  and  wait  patiently  for  the  coming  of  the  antelopes; 
which  sometimes  enter  this  spacious  trap  in  considerable  num- 
bers, iis  soon  as  they  are  in,  the  women  give  the  signal,  and 
the  men  hasten  to  play  their  part.  But  one  of  them  enters  the 
pen  at  a  time ;  and,  after  chasing  the  terrified  animals  round 
the  inclosure,  is  relieved  by  one  of  his  companions.  In  this 
way  the  hunters  take  their  turns,  relieving  each  other,  and 
keeping  up  a  continued  pursuit  bj'  relays,  without  fatigue  to 
themselves.  The  poor  antelopes,  in  the  end,  are  so  Avearied 
down,  that  the  whole  party  of  men  enter  and  dispatch  them 
with  clubs ;  not  one  escaping  that  has  entered  the  inclosure. 
The  most  ciu-ious  circumstance  in  this  chase  is,  that  an  animal 
fio  fleet  and  agile  as  the  antelope,  and  straining  for  its  life, 
should  range  round  and  round  this  fated  inclosure,  without 
attempting  to  overleap  the  low  barrier  which  surrounds  it. 
Such,  however,  is  said  to  be  the  fact ;  and  such  their  only  mode 
of  hunting  the  antelope. 

Notwitlistanding  the  absence  of  all  comfort  and  convenience 
in  their  habitations,  and  the  general  squalidness  of  their  appear- 
ance, the  Shosholvoes  do  not  appear  to  be  destitute  of  ingenuity. 
They  manufacture  good  ropes,  and  even  a  tolerably  fine  thread, 
from  a  sort  of  weed  found  in  tlieir  neighborhood ;  and  construct 
bowls  and  jugs  out  of  a  kind  of  basket-work  formed  from  small 
strips  of  wood  plaited ;  these,  by  the  aid  of  a  little  wax,  they 
render  perfectly  water  tight.    Beside  the  roots  on  which  tliey 


it 


■  .-^^^^Onu^^. 


ADVE2iTUni':S  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


185 


mainly  depend  for  subsistence,  they  collect  great  (quantities  of 
seed,  of  various  kinds,  beaten  with  om;  hand  out  of  the  tops  of 
the  plants  into  wooden  bowls  held  for  th;vt  i)iu-])ose.  The  seed 
thus  collected  is  winnow^ed  and  i)arched,  and  ground  between 
two  stones  into  a  kind  of  me;d  or  flour;  which,  when  mixed 
with  water,  forms  a  very  palatable  paste  or  giiiel. 

Some  of  these  people,  more  provident  and  industrious  than 
the  rest,  lay  up  a  stock  of  dried  salmon,  and  other  fish,  for 
winter ;  with  these,  they  were  ready  to  trafhc  with  the  travel- 
lei's  for  any  objects  of  utility  in  Indian  life ;  giving  a  large 
quantity  in  exchange  for  an  awl,  a  knife,  or  a  llsh-hook. 
Others  were  m  the  most  abject  state  of  want  and  starvation ; 
and  would  even  gather  up  the  fish-bones  which  the  travellers 
threw  away  after  a  repast,  warm  them  over  again  at  the  fire, 
and  pick  them  with  the  greatest  avidity. 

The  farther  Captain  Bonneville  advanced  into  the  country 
of  these  Root  Diggei-s,  the  more  evidence  he  perceived  of  their 
rude  and  forlorn  condition.  "They  were  destitute,"  ^ays  he, 
"  of  the  necessary  covering  to  protect  them  fiom  the  w^cather; 
and  seemed  to  be  in  the  most  unsoiJjist  leafed  ignoiance  of  any 
other  propriety  or  advantage  in  the  use  of  clclhiiig.  One  old 
dame  had  absolutely  nothing  on  her  person  but  a  thread  round 
her  neck,  from  which  was  pendant  a  sc-litary  bead." 

What  stage  of  human  destitution,  however,  is  too  destitute 
for  vanity!  Though  these  naked  and  forlorn-lcjoking  beings 
had  neither  toilet  to  arrange,  nor  beauty  to  contemplate,  their 
greatest  passion  was  for  a  mirror.  It  was  a  "  great  medicine,' 
in  their  eyes.  The  sight  of  one  was  sufficient,  at  any  time,  to 
throw  them  into  a  paroxysm  of  eagerness  and  delight;  and 
they  were  ready  to  give  anything  they  had  for  the  smallest 
fragment  in  which  they  might  behold  their  squalid  features. 
With  this  simple  instance  of  vanity,  m  its  primitive  but  vigor- 
ous state,  we  shall  close  our  remarks  on  the  Koot  Diggers. 


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186       ADVENTUliEB  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


f   1 


H 


TEMPERATURE  OP  THE  CLIMATE— ROOT  DIGGERS  ON  HORSEBACK 
— AN  INDIAN  GUIDE — MOUNTAIN  PROSPECTS— THE  GRAND  ROND 
— DIFFICULTIES    ON     SNAKE     RIVER— A     SCRAMBLE     OVER    THE 

-  BLUE  MOUNTAINS — SUFFERINGS  FROM  HUNGER— PROSPECT  OF 
THE  IMMAHAH  VALLEY— THE  EXHAUSTED  TRAVELLER. 

The  temperature  of  the  regions  west  of  the  Ilocky  Mountains 
is  much  milder  than  in  the  same  latitudes  on  the  Atlantic  side ; 
the  upper  plains,  however,  w^hich  lie  at  a  distance  from  the  sea- 
coast  are  subject  in  winter  to  considerable  vicitjitude ;  being 
traversed  by  lofty  "sierras,"  crowned  with  perpetual  snow, 
which  often  produce  flaws  and  streaks  of  intense  cold.  This 
was  experienced  by  Captain  Bonneville  and  his  companions  in 
their  progress  westward.  At  the  time  when  they  left  the 
Bannecks,  Snake  River  was  frozen  hard;  as  they  proceeded, 
the  ice  became  broken  and  floating;  it  gradually  disappeared, 
an-  the  weather  became  warm  and  pleasant,  as  they  ap- 
proached a  tributary  stream  called  the  Little  Wyer;  and  the 
soil,  which  was  generally  of  a  watery  clay,  with  occasional  in- 
tervals of  sand,  was  soft  to  the  tread  of  the  horses.  Alter  a 
time,  however,  the  mountains  approached  and  flanked  the 
river,  the  snow  lay  deep  in  the  valleys,  and  the  curi  ent  was 
once  more  icebound. 

Here  they  were  visited  by  a  party  of  Root  Diggers,  who 
were  apparently  rising  in  the  world,  for  they  had  "a  horse  to 
ride  and  weapon  to  wear,"  and  were  altogether  better  clad  (uid 
equipped  than  any  of  the  tribe  that  Captain  Bonneville  had 
met  with.  They  were  just  from  the  plain  of  Boisee  River, 
where  they  had  left  a  number  of  their  tribe,  all  as  well  pro- 
vided as  themselves,  having  gims,  horses,  and  comfortoblo 
clothmg.  All  these  they  obtained  from  the  Lower  Nez  Perees, 
with  whom  they  wore  "in  habits  of  frequent  traffic.  They  ap- 
peared to  have  imbibed  from  that  tribe  their  non-combative 
principles,  being  mild  and  inoffensive  in  their  manners.  Like 
them,  also,  they  had  something  of  religious  feelings;  for  Cap- 
tain Bonneville  observed  that,  before  eating  they  wasiied  their 
hands  and  made  a  short  prayer;  which  lie  understood  was 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE.        187 


their  invariable  custom.  From  these  Indians  he  obtained  a 
considerable  supply  of  fish,  and  an  excellent  and  well-condi- 
tioned horse,  to  replace  one  which  had  boc^ome  too  weak  for 
the  jouraey. 

The  travellers  now  moved  forward  with  renovated  spirits ; 
the  snow,  it  is  true,  lay  deeper  and  deeper  as  thoy  advanced, 
but  they  trudged  on  merrily,  considering  themselves  well 
provided  for  the  journey,  which  could  not  be  of  much  longer 
duration. 

They  had  intended  to  proceed  up  the  banks  of  Gun  Creek,  a 
stream  which  flows  into  Snake  River  from  the  west;  but  were 
assured  by  the  natives  that  the  route  in  that  du*ection  was 
impracticable.  The  latter  advised  them  to  keep  along  Snake 
River,  where  they  would  not  be  impeded  by  the  snow.  Tak- 
ing one  of  the  Diggers  for  a  guide  they  set  off  along  the  river, 
and  to  their  joy  soon  found  the  country  free  from  snow,  as 
had  been  predicted,  so  that  their  horses  once  more  had  the 
benefit  of  tolerable  pasturage.  Their  Digger  proved  an  excel- 
lent guide,  trudging  clieei-ily  in  the  advance.  He  made  an 
unsuccessful  shot  or  two  aj  a  doer  and  a  beaver;  but  at  night 
found  a  rabbit  hole,  whence  he  extracted  the  occupant,  upon 
wluch,  with  the  addition  of  a  fish  given  by  tlie  travellers,  he 
made  a  hearty  supper,  and  retired  to  rest,  filled  with  good 
cheer  and  good  Inunor. 

The  next  day  the  travellers  came  to  whore  the  hills  closed 
upon  the  river,  leaving  hero  and  there  intei'vals  of  undulating 
meadow  land.  The  river  was  sheeted  with  ice,  broken  into 
hills  at  long  intervals.  The  Digj.' er  kept  on  ahead  of  the  party, 
crossing  aiid  recrossing  the  river  in  pui*suit  of  game,  until, 
unluckily,  encountering  a  brother  Digger,  he  stole  off  with 
him,  without  the  ceremony  of  leave-taking. 

Being  now  left  to  themselves,  they  proceeded  until  they 
came  to  some  Indian  huts,  the  inhabitants  of  which  spoko 
a  language  totally  different  from  any  they  had  yet  he;ir.l. 
One,  howeve?,  understood  the  Ntz  Perce  language,  and 
tlirough  him  they  made  inquiries  as  to  their  rente.  Thoi.o 
Indians  were  (ixtremely  kind  and  honest,  and  furnished  theni 
with  a  small  c^uantity  of  meat ;  but  none  of  them  could  be  in- 
duced t(  act  as  guides. 

Immediately  in  the  route  of  the  travellers  lay  a  high  moun- 
tain, which  they  ascended  with  sonio  didiculty.  The  prospect 
from  the  summit  was  grand  but  disheartc^iing.  Directly  i)0- 
fore  them  towered  the  loftiest  peaks  of  InnimhaV  vising  far 


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188        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


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higher  than  the  elevated  jrround  on  wliich  they  stood ;  on  the 
other  hand,  thoy  were  enabled  to  scan  the  course  of  the  river, 
dashing  along  tiirough  deep  chasms,  between  roclrs  and  preci- 
pices, until  lost  in  a  distant  wilderness  of  mountains,  which 
closed  the  savage  landscape. 

They  remained  for  a  long  time  contemplating,  with  per- 
plexed o.nd  anxious  eye,  this  wild  congregation  of  mountain 
barriei*s,  and  seeking  to  discover  some  practicable  passage. 
The  approach  of  evening  obliged  them  to  give  up  the  task,  and 
to  seek  some  camping  ground  for  the  nif;ht.  Moving  briskly 
forward,  and  plunging  and  tossing  through  a  succession  of 
deep  snow-drifts,  they  at  length  reached  a  vailey  known 
among  trappers  as  the  "  Grand  Bond,''  which  they  found 
entirely  free  from  snow. 

This  is  a  beautiful  and  very  fertile  valley,  about  twenty 
miles  long  and  five  or  six  broad ;  a  bright  cold  stream  called 
the  Fourche  de  Glace,  or  Ice  River,  runs  through  it.  Its 
sheltered  situation,  embosomed  in  mountains,  renders  it  good 
pasturing  ground  in  the  winter  time;  when  the  elk  come  down 
to  it  in  great  numbers,  driven  out  of  the  moimtains  by  the 
snow.  The  Indians  then  resort  to  it  to  hunt.  They  likewise 
come  to  it  in  the  summer  to  dig  the  camash  root,  of  which  it 
produces  immense  quantities.  When  this  plant  is  in  blossom, 
the  whole  valley  is  tinted  by  its  blue  flowers,  and  looks  like 
the  ocean  when  overcast  by  a  cloud. 

After  passing  a  night  in  this  valley,  the  travellers  in  the 
morning  scaled  the  neighboring  hills,  to  look  out  for  a  more 
eligible  route  than  that  upon  which  they  had  unluckily  fallen; 
and,  after  much  reconnoitring  determined  to  make  their  way 
once  more  to  the  river,  and  to  travel  upon  the  ice  when  the 
banks  should  prove  impassable. 

On  the  second  day  after  this  determination,  they  were  again 
upon  Snake  River,  but,  contrary  to  their  expectations,  it  was 
nearly  free  from  ice.  A  narrow  ribbon  ran  along  the  shore, 
and  sometimes  there  was  a  kind  of  bridge  across  the  stream, 
formed  of  old  ice  and  snow.  For  a  short  time,  they  jogged 
along  the  bank,  with  tolerable  facility,  but  at  length  came  to 
where  the  river  forced  its  way  into  the  heart  of  the  mountains, 
winding  between  tremendous  walls  of  basaltic  rock,  that  rose 
porpondicularly  from  the  water's  edge,  frowning  in  bleak  and 
gloomy  grandeur.  Here  difficultiea  of  all  kinds  besot  their 
path.  The  snow  was  from  two  to  three  feet  deep,  but  soft  and 
yielding,  so  that  the  horses  had  no  foothold,  but  kept  plunging 


T' 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


189 


forward,  straining  themselves  by  perpetual  efforts.  Some- 
times the  crags  and  promontories  forced  them  upon  the 
narrow  ribbon  of  ice  that  bordered  the  shore ;  sometimes  they 
had  to  scramble  over  vast  masses  of  rock  which  had  tumbled 
from  the  impending  precipices ;  sometimes  they  had  to  cross 
the  stream  upon  the  hazardous  bridges  of  ice  and  snow,  sink- 
ing to  the  knee  at  every  step ;  sometimes  they  had  to  scale 
slippery  acclivities,  and  to  pass  along  narrow  cornices,  glazed 
with  ice  and  sleet,  a  shouldering  wall  of  rock  on  one  side,  a 
yawning  precipice  on  the  other,  where  a  single  false  step  would 
liave  been  fatal.  In  a  lower  and  less  dangerous  pass,  two  of 
their  horses  actually  fell  into  the  river;  one  was  saved  with 
much  difficulty,  but  the  boldness  of  the  shore  prevented  their 
rescuing  the  other,  and  ho  was  swept  away  by  the  rapid 
urrent. 

In  this  way  they  struggled  forward,  manfully  braving  diffi- 
culties and  dangei"S,  until  they  came  to  where  the  bed  of  the 
river  was  narrowed  to  a  mere  chasm,  with  perpendicular 
walls  of  rock  that  defied  all  further  progress.  Turaing  their 
faces  now  to  the  mountain,  they  endeavored  to  cross  directly 
over  it;  but,  after  clambering  nearly  to  the  summit,  found 
their  path  closed  by  insui-raountable  barriers. 

Nothing  now  remained  but  to  retrace  their  steps.  To 
descend  a  cragged  mountain,  however,  was  more  difficult  and 
dangerous  than  to  ascend  it.  They  had  to  lower  themselves, 
cautiously  and  slowly,  from  steep  to  steep;  and,  while  they 
managed  with  difficulty  to  maintain  their  own  footing,  to  aid 
their  horses  by  holding  on  firmly  to  the  rope  halters,  as  the 
jioor  animals  stumbled  among  slippery  rocks,  or  slid  down  icy 
declivities.  Thus,  after  a  day  of  intense  cold,  and  severe  and 
incessant  toil,  amid  the  wildest  of  scenery,  they  managed, 
about  nightfall,  to  reach  the  camping  groimd  from  which  they 
had  started  in  the  morning,  and  for  the  first  time  in  the  course 
of  their  rugged  and  perilous  expedition,  felt  their  hearts  quail- 
ing under  their  multiplied  hardships. 

A  hearty  supper,  a  tranquillizing  pipe,  and  a  sound  night's 
sleep,  put  them  all  in  better  mood,  and  in  the  morning  they 
held  a  consultation  as  to  their  future  movements.  About  four 
miles  behind,  they  had  remarked  a  small  ridg(»  of  mountains 
approaching  closely  to  the  river.  It  was  dc^termined  to  scale 
this  ridge,  and  seek  a  passage  into  the  valley  which  must  Ho 
beyond.  Should  they  fail  in  this,  but  one  alternative  re- 
mained.    To  kill  their  horses,  dry  the  flesh  for  provisions, 


w 


I' 


190        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 

make  boats  of  the  hides,  and,  in  these,  commit  themselves  to 
the  stream,  a  measure  hazardous  in  the  extreme. 

A  short  march  brought  them  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain, 
but  its  steep  and  cragged  sides  almost  discouraged  hope.  The 
only  chance  of  scaling  it  was  by  broken  masses  of  rock,  piled 
one  upon  another,  which  formed  a  succession  of  crags,  reach- 
ing nearly  to  the  summit.  Up  these  they  wrought  their  way 
with  indescribable  difficulty  and  peril,  in  a  zigzag  course, 
climbing  from  rock  to  rock,  and  helping  their  horses  up  after 
them ;  which  scrambled  among  the  crags  like  mountain  goats ; 
now  and  then  dislodging  some  huge  stone,  which,  the  moment 
they  had  loft  it,  would  roll  down  the  mountain,  crashing  and 
rebounding  with  terrific  din.  It  was  some  time  after  dark 
before  they  reached  a  kind  of  platform  on  the  summit  of  the 
mountain,  where  they  could  venture  to  encamp.  The  winds, 
which  swept  this  naked  height,  had  whirled  all  the  snow  into 
the  valley  beneath,  so  that  the  horses  found  tolerable  winter 
pasturage  on  the  diy  grass  which  remained  exposed.  The 
travellers,  though  hungry  in  the  extreme,  were  fain  to  make  a 
very  frugal  supper;  for  they  saw  their  journey  was  Hkely  to 
be  prolonged  much  beyond  the  anticipated  term. 

In  fact,  on  the  following  day  they  discerned  that,  although 
already  at  a  great  elevation,  they  were  only  as  yet  upon  the 
shoulder  of  the  mountain.  It  proved  to  be  a  great  sierra,  or 
ridge,  of  immense  height,  running  parallel  to  the  course  of 
the  river,  swelling  by  degrees  to  lofty  peaks,  but  the  outline 
gashed  by  deep  and  precipitous  ravines.  This,  in  fact,  was  a 
part  of  the  chain  of  Blue  Mountains,  in  which  the  firet  adven- 
turers to  Astoria  experienced  such  hardships. 

We  will  not  pretend  to  accompany  the  travellers  step  by 
step  in  this  tremendous  mountain  scramble,  into  which  they 
had  unconsciously  betrayed  themselves.  Day  after  day  did 
their  toil  continue;  p(\ik  after  peak  hod  they  to  traverse, 
stniggling  with  difficulties  and  hardships  known  only  to  the 
mountain  trapper.  As  their  course  lay  north,  they  had  to 
ascend  the  southern  faces  of  the  heights,  where  the  sun  had 
melted  the  snow,  so  as  to  render  the  ascent  wet  and  slippery, 
and  to  keep  both  men  and  horses  continually  on  the  strain ; 
while  on  the  northern  sioes,  the  snow  lay  in  such  heavy  masses 
that  it  was  necessary  to  beat  a  track  down  which  the  hoi*ses 
might  be  l(»d.  Every  now  and  then,  also,  their  way  was  im- 
peded by  tail  and  numerous  pines,  some  of  which  had  fallen, 
and  lay  in  every  direction. 


ADVFjyrunEs  of  captain  Bonneville. 


191 


In  the  midst  of  these  toils  and  hardships,  their  provisions 
gave  out.  For  three  days  they  were  without  food,  and  so  re- 
duced that  they  could  scarcely  drag  themselves  along.  At 
length,  one  of  the  mules  being  about  to  give  out  from  fatigue 
and  famine,  they  hastened  to  dispatch  him.  Husbanding  this 
miserable  supply,  they  dried  the  flesh,  and  for  three  days  sub- 
sisted upon  the  nutriment  extracted  from  the  bones.  As  to 
the  meat,  it  was  packed  and  preserved  as  long  as  they  could 
do  without  it,  not  knowing  how  long  they  might  remain  be- 
wildered in  these  desolate  regions. 

One  t)f  the  men  was  now  dispatched  ahead,  to  reconnoitre 
the  country,  and  to  discover,  if  possible,  some  more  practi- 
cable route.  In  the  meantime,  the  rest  of  the  party  moved 
on  slowly.  After  a  lapse  of  three  days,  the  scout  rejoined 
them.  He  informed  them  that  Snake  River  ran  immediately 
below  the  sierra  or  mountainous  ridge  upon  which  they  were 
travelling;  that  it  was  free  from  precipices,  and  was  at  no 
gi'cat  distance  from  them  in  a  direct  line ;  but  that  it  would  be 
impossible  for  them  to  reach  it  without  making  a  weary  cir- 
cuit. Their  only  course  would  be  to  cross  the  mountain  ridge 
to  the  left. 

Up  this  mountain,  therefore,  the  weary  travellers  directed 
their  steps;  and  the  ascent,  in  their  present  weak  and  ex- 
hausted state,  was  oirc  of  the  severest  parts  of  this  most  pain- 
ful journey.  For  two  days  were  they  toiling  slowly  from  cliff 
to  cliff,  boating  at  every  stop  a  path  through  the  snow  for  their 
faltering  horses.  At  length  they  reached  the  summit,  where 
the  snow  was  blown  off;  but  in  descending  on  the  opposite 
Hide  they  were  often  plunging  through  deep  drifts  jailed  in  the 
hollows  and  ravines.  , 

Their  provisions  were  now  exhatisted,  and  they  and  their 
horses  almost  ready  tc.  give  out  with  fatigue  and  hunger;  when 
one  afternoon,  just  as  the  sun  was  sinking  behind  a  blue  lino 
of  distant  mountain,  they  came  to  the  brow  of  a  height  from 
wiiich  they  beheld  the  smooth  valley  of  the  fmniahah  stretched 
out  in  smilinf:  verdure  below  them. 

The  sight  inspired  almost  a  frenzy  of  delight.  Roused  to 
new  ardor,  they  forgot  for  a  time  their  fatigues,  and  huri-ied 
down  the  mountain,  dragging  tlieir  jadcnl  horses  after  them, 
and  sometimes  compelling  them  to  slide  a  distance  of  thirty  or 
forty  feet  at  a  time.  At  length  they  reached  the  banks  of  the 
Tnimahah.  The  yoimg  grass  was  just  l)eginning  to  sprout,  and 
the  whole  valley  wore  an  aspect  of  softness,  verdure,  and  va- 


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192        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 

pose,  heightened  by  the  contrast  of  the  frightful  region  from 
which  they  had  just  descended.  To  add  to  their  joy,  they  ob- 
served Indian  trails  along  the  margin  of  the  stream,  and  other 
signs,  which  gave  them  reason  to  beUeve  that  there  was  an  en- 
campment of  the  Lower  Nez  Perces  in  the  neighborhood,  as  it 
was  Mthin  the  accustomed  range  of  that  pacific  and  hospitable 
tribe. 

The  prospect  of  a  supply  of  food  stimulated  them  to  new 
exertion,  and  they  continued  on  as  fast  as  the  enfeebled  state 
of  themselves  and  their  steeds  would  permit.  At  length,  one 
of  the  men,  more  exhausted  than  the  rest,  threw  himself  upon 
the  grass,  and  declared  he  could  go  no  further.  It  was  in  vain 
to  attempt  to  arouse  him ;  his  spirit  had  given  out,  and  his  re- 
pUes  only  showed  the  dogged  apathy  of  despair.  His  com- 
panions, therefore,  encamped  on  the  spot,  kindled  a  blazing 
fire,  and  searched  about  for  roots  with  which  to  strengthen 
and  revive  him.  They  all  then  made  a  starveling  repast ; 
but  gathering  round  the  fire,  talked  over  past  dangers  and 
troubles,  soothed  themselves  with  the  persuasion  that  all  were 
now  at  an  end,  and  went  to  sleep  with  the  comforting  hope 
that  the  morrow  would  bring  them  into  plentiful  quarters. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

PROGRESS  IN  THE  VALLEY —AN  INDIAN  CAVALIER— THE  CAPTAIN 
PALLS  INTO  A  LETHARGY— A  NEZ  PERCE  PATRIARCH— HOSPITA- 
BLE TREAT31ENT— THE  BALD  HEAD— BARQAINING  -VALUE  OF  AN 
OLD  I'LAID  CLOAK— THE  FAMILY  HORSE— THE  COST  OP  AN  IN- 
DIAN PRESENT. 

A  TRANQUIL  night's  rest  had  sufficiently  restored  the  broken 
down  traveller  to  enable  him  to  rosiime  his  wayfaring,  and  all 
hands  set  forward  on  the  Indian  trail.  With  all  their  eager- 
ness to  arrive  within  reach  of  succor,  such  was  their  feeble  and 
emaciated  condition  that  they  advanced  but  slowly.  Nor  is  it 
a  matter  of  surprise  that  they  should  almost  have  lost  heart,  as 
well  as  strength.  It  was  now  (the  10th  of  February)  fifty -three 
days  that  tlioy  had  been  travelling  in  the  midst  of  winter,  ex- 
posed to  pll  kinds  of  privations  and  hardships ;  and  for  tlio  last 
twenty  days  they  had  been  ontungled  in  the  wild  and  desolate 


mm 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


193 


labyrinths  of  the  snowy  mountains ;  climbing  and  descending 
icy  precipices,  and  nearly  starved  with  cold  and  himgcr. 

All  the  morning  they  continued  following  the  Indian  trail, 
without  seeing  a  human  being,  and  were  beginning  to  Ixi  dis- 
couraged whrii,  about  noon,  they  discovered  a  horsemen  at  a 
distance.  He  was  coming  directly  toward  them;  but  on  dis- 
covering them,  suddenly  reined  up  his  steed,  came  to  a  halt, 
and,  after  reconnoitring  them  for  a  time  with  great  earnof-:t- 
ness,  seemed  about  to  make  a  cautious  retreat.  They  eagerly 
made  signs  oi  peace,  and  endeavored,  with  the  utmost  anxiety, 
to  induce  him  to  approach.  He  remained  f6r  some  time  in 
doubt;  but  at  length,  having  satisfied  himself  that  they  were 
not  enemies,  came  galloping  up  to  them.  He  was  a  fine, 
haughty-looking  savage,  fancifully  decorated,  and  mounted  on 
a  high-mettled  steed,  with  gaudy  trappings  and  e(iiiipnients. 
It  was  evident  that  he  was  a  wariior  of  some  consequence 
among  his  tribe.  His  whole  deportment  had  something  in  it 
of  barbaric  dignity ;  he  felt  perhaps  his  temporary  superiority 
in  personal  array,  and  in  the  spirit  of  his  steed,  to  the  poor, 
ragged,  travel-worn  trappers  and  their  half-starved  horses. 
Approaching  them  with  an  air  of  protection,  he  gave  them  his 
hand,  and,  in  the  Nez  Perce  language  invited  them  to  his 
camp,  which  was  only  a  few  miles  distant ;  where  he  had  plenty 
to  eat,  and  plenty  of  horses,  and  would  cheerfully  share  his 
good  things  with  them. 

His  hospitable  invitation  was  joyfully  accepted ;  he  lingered 
but  a  moment,  to  give  directions  by  which  they  might  find  his 
camp,  and  then,  wheeling  round,  and  giving  the  reins  to  his 
mettlesome  steed,  was  soon  out  of  sight.  The  travellers  fol- 
lowed, with  gladdened  hearts,  but  at  a  snail's  pace ;  for  their 
poor  horses  could  scarcely  drag  one  leg  after  the  other.  Cap- 
tain Bonneville,  however,  experienced  a  sudden  and  singular 
change  of  feeling.  Hitherto,  the  necessity  of  conducting  his 
party,  and  of  providing  against  every  emergency,  had  kept  his 
mind  upon  the  stretch,  and  his  whole  system  braced  and  ex- 
cited. In  no  one  instance  had  he  flagged  in  spirit  or  felt  dis- 
posed to  succumb.  Now,  however,  that  all  danger  was  over, 
and  the  march  of  a  few  miles  would  bring  them  to  repose  and 
abundance,  his  energies  suddenly  deserted  him;  and  every 
faculty,  mental  and  physical,  was  totally  relaxed.  Ho  had  not 
proceeded  two  miles  from  the  point  where  he  had  had  the  in- 
terview with  the  Nez  Perce  chief,  when  he  threw  himself  upon 
the  earth,  without  the  power  or  will  to  move  a  muscle,  or  exert 


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194        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 

a  thought,  and  sank  almost  instantly  into  a  prcfouncl  nnd 
dreamless  sleep.  His  companions  again  came  to  a  halt,  and 
encamped  beside  him,  and  there  they  passed  the  night. 

The  next  morning  Captain  Bonneville  awakened  from  his 
long  and  heavy  sleep,  much  refreshed ;  and  they  all  resumed 
their  creeping  progress.  They  had  not  long  been  on  the  march 
when  eight  or  ten  of  the  Nez  Perce  tribe  came  galloping  to 
meet  them,  leading  fresh  horses  to  bear  them  to  their  camp. 
Thus  gallantly  mounted,  they  felt  new  life  infused  into  their 
languid  frames,  and  dashing  forward,  were  soon  at  the  lod^^::(>s 
of  the  Nez  Perces.  Here  they  found  about  twelve  families  liv- 
ing together,  under  the  patriarchal  sway  of  an  ancient  nnd 
venerable  chief.  Ho  received  them  with  the  hospitality  of  tlio 
golden  age,  and  with  something  of  the  same  kind  of  fare ;  for, 
while  he  opened  his  arms  to  make  them  welcome,  the  only  r(»- 
past  he  set  before  them  consisted  of  roots.  They  could  liavo 
wished  for  something  more  hearty  and  substantial;  but,  for 
want  of  better,  made  a  voracious  meal  on  these  humble  viands. 
The  repast  being  over,  the  best  pipe  was  lighted  and  sent 
round ;  and  this  was  a  most  welcome  luxury,  having  lost  their 
81  *  '-ig  apparatus  twelve  days  before,  among  the  mountains, 
le  they  were  thus  enjoying  themselves,  their  poor  horses 
were  led  to  the  best  pastures  in  the  neighborhood,  where  they 
were  turned  loose  to  revel  on  the  fresh  sprouting  grass ;  so  that 
they  liad  better  fare  than  their  masters. 

Captain  Bonneville  soon  felt  himself  quite  at  home  among 
these  quiet,  inoffensive  people.  His  long  residence  among  their 
cousins,  the  Upper  Nez  Perces,  had  made  him  conversant  with 
their  language,  modes  of  expression,  and  all  their  habitudes. 
He  soon  found,  too,  that  he  was  well  known  among  them,  by 
report,  at  least,  from  the  constant  interchange  of  visits  and 
messages  between  the  two  branches  of  the  tribe.  They  at  first 
addressed  him  by  his  name;  giving  him  his  title  of  captain, 
with  a  French  accent ;  but  they  soon  gave  him  a  title  of  their 
own  which,  as  usual  with  Indian  titles,  had  a  peculiar  signifi- 
cation. In  the  case  of  the  captain,  it  had  somewhat  of  a  whim- 
sical origin. 

As  he  sat  chatting  and  smoking  in  the  midst  of  them,  he 
would  occasionally  take  off  his  cap.  Whenever  he  did  so, 
there  was  a  sensation  in  the  surrounding  circle.  The  Indians 
would  half  rise  from  their  recumbent  posture,  and  gaze  upon 
his  uncovered  head  with  their  usiial  exclamation  of  astonish- 
ment.   The  worthy  captain  was  completely  bald;  a  phenom- 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


105 


enon  very  surprising  in  their  eyes.  They  were  at  a  loss  to 
know  whether  he  had  been  scalped  in  battle,  or  enjoyed  a  nat- 
ural immunity  from  that  belligerent  infliction.  In  a  little 
while  he  became  known  among  them  by  an  Indian  name,  sig- 
nifying * '  the  bald  chief. "  "A  sobriquet, "  observes  the  captain, 
"for  which  I  can  find  no  parallel  in  history  since  the  days  of 
Charles  the  Bald." 

Although  the  travellers  had  banqueted  on  roots,  and  been  re- 
galed with  tobacco  smoke,  yet  their  stomachs  craved  more 
generous  fare.  In  approaching  the  lodges  of  the  Nez  Perces 
they  had  indulged  in  fond  anticipations  of  venison  and  dried 
salmon;  and  dreams  of  the  kind  still  haunted  their  imagina- 
tions, and  could  not  be  conjured  down.  The  keen  appetites 
of  mountain  trappers,  quickened  by  a  fortnight's  fasting,  .at 
length  got  the  better  of  all  scruples  of  pride,  and  they  fairly 
begged  some  fish  or  flesh  from  the  hospitable  savages.  The 
latter,  however,  were  slow  to  break  in  upon  their  winter  store, 
which  was  very  limited ;  but  were  ready  to  furnish  roots  in 
abundance,  which  they  pronounced  excellent  food.  At  length, 
Captain  Bonneville  thought  of  a  means  of  attaining  the  much- 
coveted  gratification. 

He  had  about  him,  he  says,  a  trusty  plaid ;  an  old  and  valued 
travelling  companion  and  comforter ;  upon  which  the  rains  had 
descended,  and  the  snows  and  winds  beaten,  without  further 
effect  than  somewhat  to  tarnish  its  primitive  lustre.  This  coat 
of  many  colors  had  excited  the  admiration,  and  inflamed  the 
covetousness  of  both  warriors  and  squaws  to  an  extravagant 
degree.  An  idea  now  occurred  to  Captain  Bonneville,  to  con- 
vert this  rainbow  garment  into  the  savory  viands  so  much  de- 
sired. There  was  a  momentary  struggle  in  his  mind  between 
old  associations  and  projected  indulgence ;  and  his  decision  in 
favor  of  the  latter  was  made,  he  says,  with  a  greater  prompt- 
ness perhaps,  than  true  taste  and  sentiment  might  have  re- 
quired. In  a  few  moments  his  plaid  cloak  was  cut  into 
numerous  strips.  '  Of  these,"'  contiilues  he,  "  with  the  newly 
developed  talent  of  a  man-mUliner,  I  speedily  constructed 
turbans  A  la  Turqif£,  and  fanciful  head-gears  of  divers  confor- 
mations. These,  judiciously  distributed  among  such  of  the 
womenkind  as  seemed  of  most  consequence  and  interest  in 
the  eyes  of  the  pat  res  conscript  i,  brought  us,  in  a  little  while, 
abundance  of  dried  salmon  and  deers'  hearts,  on  which  wo 
made  a  sumptuous  supper.  Another,  and  a  more  satisfactory 
smoke,  succeeded  this  repast,  and  sweet  slumbers  answering 


r  m 


iiii 


ill 


i 

i. 


I 

V 


if 


196 


ADVEyrVllES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLK. 


i:'' 


If 


the  peaceful  invocation  of  our  pipes,  wrapped  us  in  that  deli 
cious  rest  which  is  only  won  by  toil  and  travail.' 

As  to  Captain  Bonneville,  he  slept  in  the  loilcre  of  the  vencr 
able  patriarch,  wlio  had  evidently  conceived  a  most  disin 
terested  affection  for  him :  as  was  shown  on  the  follo\<ing 
morning.  The  travellei*s,  invigorated  by  a  good  supper,  and 
"fresh  from  the  bath  of  repose,"  wore  about  to  resume  then 
journey,  when  this  affectionate  old  thief  took  the  captain 
aside,  to  let  him  know  how  much  he  loved  him.  zVs  a  proof  ot 
his  regard,  he  had  determined  to  give  him  a  fine  horse,  whicli 
would  go  farther  than  words,  and  put  his  good- will  bej'ond  ail 
question.  So  saying,  he  made  a  signal,  and  forthwith  a  beau- 
tiful young  hor»e,  oi  a  brown  color,  was  Jed,  pramung  and 
snorting,  to  the  place.  Captain  Bonne vi  lie  was  suitably  a  If  ec  ted 
by  this  mark  of  friendship;  but  his  experience  m  what  is  pro- 
verbially called  "  Indian  giving,'  made  him  aware  that  a  part- 
ing pledge  was  necessary  on  liis  own  part,  to  j^rove  tliat  his 
friendship  was  reciprocated.  He  accordingly  placed  a  haiid- 
Bome  rifle  in  the  hands  of  the  venerable  c  hief,  whose  benevo- 
lent heart  was  evidently  touched  and  gi'atified  by  this  outward 
and  visible  sign  of  nmit3^ 

Having  now,  as  he  thought,  balanced  this  little  account  of 
friendship,  the  captain  was  about  to  shift  his  saddle  to  this 
noble  gift-horse,  when  the  affectionate  patriarch  plucked  him 
by  the  sleeve,  and  introduced  to  him  a  whimpering,  whining, 
leathern-skinned  old  squaw,  that  might  have  passed  for  an 
Egyptian  mummy  without  drying.  "This,"  said  he,  "is  my 
wife;  she  is  a  good  wife— I  love  her  very  much.— She  loves  the 
horse— she  loves  him  a  great  deal— she  will  cry  very  much  at 
losing  him.— I  do  not  know  how  I  shall  comfort  her— and  that 
makes  my  heart  very  sore." 

What  could  the  worthy  captain  do  to  console  the  tender- 
hearted old  squaw  and,  peradventure,  to  save  the  venerable 
patriarch  from  a  curtain  lecture  ?  He  bethought  himself  of  a 
pair  of  ear-bobs ;  it  waertrue,  the  patriarch's  better  half  was  of 
an  age  and  appearance  that  seemed  to  put  personal  vanity  out 
of  the  question,  but  when  is  personal  vanity  extinct  ?  The  mo- 
ment he  produced  the  glittering  ear-bobs,  the  whimpering  and 
whining  of  the  sempiternal  beldame  was  at  an  end.  She 
eagerly  placed  the  precious  baubles  in  her  eai*s,  and,  though  as 
ugly  as  the  Witch  of  Endor,  went  off  with  a  sideling  gait,  and 
coquettish  air,  as  though  she  had  been  a  perfect  Semiiamis. 

The  captain  had  now  saddled  his  newly  acquired  steed,  and 


ADVENTUHES  OF  CAPTATN  BO^^'ETJLLE. 


197 


his  foot  was  in  the  stirnip,  when  the  affectionate  patriarch 
again  stepped  forward,  and  presented  to  him  a  young  Pierced- 
iiose,  who  had  a  peculiarly  sulky  look.  "This,"  said  the  ven- 
erable chief,  "is  my  son;  he  is  very  good;  a  great  horseman- 
he  always  took  care  of  this  very  fine  horse— ho  brought  him  up 
from  a  colt,  and  made  him  what  he  is.  He  is  very  fond  of  this 
fine  horse— he  loves  him  like  a  brother — his  heart  will  be  very 
heavy  when  this  fine  horse  leaves  the  camp." 

What  could  the  captain  do,  to  reward  the  youthful  hope  of 
tliLS  venerable  pair,  and  comfort  him  for  the  loss  of  his  foster- 
brother,  the  horse?  He  bethought  him  of  a  hatchet,  which 
might  be  spared  from  his  slendei-  stores.  No  sooner  did  he 
place  the  instrument  into  the  hands  of  the  young  h<jpeful,  than 
his  countenance  brightened  up,  and  ho  went  off  rejoicing  in  his 
hatchet  to  the  full  as  much  as  did  his  respectable  mother  in 
her  ear-bobs. 

The  captain  was  now  in  the  saddle,  and  about  to  start,  when 
llio  affectionate  old  patriarch  stepped  forward  for  the  third 
time,  and,  while  he  laid  one  hand  gently  on  the  mane  of  the 
horse,  held  up  the  rifle  in  the  other.  "This  rifle,"  said  he, 
"shall  be  my  great  medicine.  I  will  hug  it  to  my  heart— I 
will  always  love  it,  for  the  sake  of  my  good  friend,  the  bald- 
headed  chief.  But  a  rifle,  by  itself,  is  dumb — I  cannot  make  it 
speak.  If  I  had  a  little  powder  and  ball,  I  would  take  it  out 
with  me,  and  would  now  and  then  shoot  a  deer;  and  when  I 
brought  the  meat  home  to  my  hungry  family,  I  would  say — 
This  was  killed  by  the  rifle  of  my  friend,  the  bald-headed  chief, 
to  whom  I  gave  that  very  fine  horse." 

There  was  no  resisting  this  appeal;  the  captain  forthwith 
furnished  the  coveted  supply  of  powder  and  ball ;  but  at  the 
same  time  put  i^purs  to  his  very  fine  gift-horse,  and  the  first 
trial  of  his  speed  was  to  get  out  of  all  further  manifestation  of 
friendship  on  the  part  of  the  affectionate  old  patriarch  and  his 
insinuating  family. 


( 


•.  I 


198        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE, 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


ii 


t  :■•  H, 


KEZ  PERCfi  OAMP— A  CHIEF  WITH  A  HARD  NA.1WE— THE  BIG 
HEARTS  OP  THE  EAST— HOSPITABLE  TREATMENT — THE  INDIAN 
GUIDES— MYSTERIOUS  COUNCILS— THE  LOQUACIOUS  CHIEF— IN- 
DIAN TOMB— GRAND  INDIAN  RECEPTION— AN  INDIAN  FEAST— 
TOWN-CRIERS —HONESTY  OP  THE  NEZ  PERCES— THE  CAPTAIN '3 
ATTEMPT  AT  HEALING. 

Following  the  course  of  the  Immahah,  Captain  Bonnevillo 
and  his  three  companions  soon  reached  the  vicinity  of  Snako 
River.  Their  route  now  lay  over  a  succession  of  steep  and  iso- 
lated hills,  with  profound  valleys.  On  the  second  day  after 
taking  leave  of  the  affectionate  old  patriarch,  as  they  were 
descending  into  one  of  those  deep  and  abrupt  intervals,  they 
descried  a  smoke,  and  shortly  afterward  came  in  sight  of  a 
small  encampment  of  Nez  Perces. 

The  Indians,  when  they  ascertained  that  it  was  a  party  of 
white  men  approaching,  greeted  them  with  a  salute  of  firearms, 
and  invited  them  to  encamp.  This  band  was  likewise  under 
the  sway  of  a  venerable  chief  named  Yo-mus-ro-y-e-cut ;  a 
name  which  we  shall  be  careful  not  to  inflict  of tener  than  is 
necessary  upon  the  reader.  This  ancient  and  hard-named 
chieftain  welcomed  Captain  Bonneville  to  his  camp  with  the 
same  hospitahty  and  loving  kindness  that  he  had  experienced 
from  his  predecessor.  He  told  the  captain  he  had  often  heard 
of  the  Americans  and  their  generous  deeds,  and  that  his  buf- 
falo brethren  (the  Upper  Nez  Perces)  had  always  spoken  of 
them  as  the  Big-hearted  whites  of  the  East,  the  very  good 
friends  of  the  Nez  Perces. 

Captain  Bonneville  felt  somewhat  uneasy  under  the  responsi- 
bility of  this  magnanimous  but  costly  appellation ;  and  began 
to  fear  he  might  be  in^^^olved  in  a  second  interchange  of 
pledges  of  friendship.  He  hastened,  therefore,  to  let  the  old 
chief  know  his  poverty-stricken  state,  and  how  little  there  was 
to  be  expected  from  him. 

He  informed  him  that  he  and  his  comrades  had  long  resided 
among  the  Upper  Nez  Perces,  and  loved  them  so  muil    >  hat 


f-V 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


19t> 


they  had  thrown  their  arms  around  thoni,  and  now  held  them 
close  to  their  hearts.  That  he  had  received  such  good  accounts 
from  the  Upper  Nez  Percys,  of  their  cousins,  the  Lower  Nez 
Percys,  that  he  had  become  desirous  of  knowing  them  as 
friends  and  brothers.  That  he  and  his  com panions  had  accord- 
ingly'' loaded  a  mule  with  jjresents  and  set  off  for  the  country 
of  the  Lower  Nez  Perces;  but,  unfortunately,  had  been  en- 
trapped for  many  days  among  the  snowy  mountains;  and 
that  the  mule  with  all  the  presents  had  fallen  into  Snake 
River,  and  been  swept  away  by  the  lapid  current.  That  in- 
stead, therefore,  of  arriving  among  their  friends,  tiic  Nez 
Perces,  with  light  hearts  and  full  hands,  they  came  naked, 
hungry,  and  broken  down ;  and  instead  of  making  them  pres- 
ents, must  depend  upon  them  even  for  food.  "But,"  con- 
cluded he,  *'  we  are  going  to  the  white  men's  fort  on  the  Wal- 
lah Wallah,  and  will  soon  return ;  and  then  wo  will  meet  our 
Nez  Perce  friends  like  the  true  Big  Hearts  of  the  East." 

Whether  the  hint  thrown  out  in  the  latter  pait  of  the  speech 
had  any  effect,  or  whether  the  old  chief  acted  from  the  hospita- 
ble feelings  which,  according  to  the  captain,  are  really  inhe- 
rent in  the  Nez  Perce  tribe,  ho  certainly  showed  no  disposition 
to  relax  liis  friendship  on  learning  the  destitute  circumstances 
of  liis  guests.  On  the  contrary,  he  urged  the  captain  to  re- 
main with  them  until  the  following  day,  when  he  would  accom- 
pany him  on  his  journey,  and  make  him  acquainted  with  all 
his  people.  In  the  meantime  ho  would  have  a  colt  killed,  and 
cut  up  for  travelling  provisions.  This,  he  carefully  explained, 
was  intended  not  as  an  article  of  tratllc,  but  as  a  gift;  for  he 
saw  that  his  guests  were  hungry  and  in  need  of  food. 

Captain  Bonneville  gladly  assented  to  tliis  hospitable  ar- 
rangement. The  carcciss  of  the  colt  was  forthcoming  in  due 
season,  but  the  captain  insisted  that  one  half  of  it  should  be  set 
ai)art  for  the  use  of  the  chieftain's  family. 

At  an  early  hour  of  the  following  morning  the  httle  party 
resumed  their  journey,  accompanied  by  the  old  chief  and  an 
Lidian  guide.  Their  route  was  over  a  rugged  and  broken 
country;  where  the  hills  were  slippery  with  ice  and  snow. 
TJieir  horses,  too,  were  so  weak  and  jaded  that  they  could 
scarcely  chmb  the  steep  ascents  or  maintain  their  foothold  on 
the  frozen  declivities.  Throughout  the  whole  of  the  journey, 
the  old  chief  and  the  guide  wei'o  unremitting  in  their  good  of- 
fices, and  continually  on  the  alert  to  select  the  best  roads,  and 
assist  them  through  all  difficulties.    Indeed  the  captain  and 


200 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


his  comrades  had  to  be  dependent  on  their  Indian  friends  for 
ahnost  everything,  for  they  had  lost  their  tobacco  and  pipes, 
those  great  comforts  of  the  trapper,  and  had  but  a  few  charges 
of  powder  left,  which  it  was  necessary  to  husband  for  the  pur- 
pose of  lighting  their  fires. 

In  the  course  of  the  day  the  old  chief  had  several  private 
consultations  with  the  guide,  and  showed  evident  signs  of 
being  occupied  with  some  mysterious  matter  of  mighty  im- 
port. What  it  was.  Captain  Bonneville  could  not  fathom,  nor 
did  he  make  much  effort  to  do  so.  From  some  casual  sen- 
tences that  he  overheard,  he  perceived  that  it  was  something 
from  which  the  old  man  promised  himself  much  satisfaction, 
and  to  which  he  attached  a  little  vainglory,  but  which  he 
wished  to  keep  a  secret;  so  he  suffered  him  to  spin  out  his 
petty  plans  unmolested. 

In  the  evening  when  they  encamped,  the  old  chief  and  his 
privy  counsellor,  the  guide,  had  another  mysterious  colloquy, 
after  which  the  guide  mounted  his  horse  and  departed  on 
some  secret  mission,  while  the  chief  resumed  his  scat  at  the 
fire,  and  sat  humming  to  himself  in  a  pleasing  but  mystic  rev- 
erie. 

The  next  moi'ning  the  travellers  descended  into  the  valley  of 
the  Way- lee- way,  a  considerable  tributary  of  Snake  River. 
Here  they  met  the  guide  returning  from  his  secret  errand. 
Another  private  conference  was  held  between  him  and  the  old 
managing  chief,  who  now  seemed  more  inflated  than  ever 
with  mystery  and  self-importance.  Numerous  fresh  trails, 
and  various  other  signs  persuaded  Captain  Bonneville  that 
there  must  be  a  considerable  village  of  Nez  Perces  in  the 
neighborhood;  but  as  his  w^orthy  companion,  the  old  chief, 
said  nothing  on  the  subject,  and  jis  it  appeared  to  be  in  some 
way  connected  with  his  secret  operations,  he  asked  no  ques- 
tions, but  patiently  awaited  the  development  of  his  mystery. 

As  they  journeyed  on  they  came  to  wJiere  two  or  three  Indi- 
ans were  bathing  in  a  small  stream.  The  good  old  chief  imme- 
diutely  came  to  a  halt,  and  had  a  long  conversation  with  them, 
in  the  coin*se  of  which  he  repeated  to  them  the  whole  history 
which  Captain  Bonneville  had  related  to  him.  In  fact,  he 
seems  to  have  been  a  very  sociable,  communicative  old  man ; 
by  no  means  afflicted  with  that  taciturnity  generally  charged 
upon  the  Indians.  On  the  contrary,  he  was  fond  of  long  talks 
and  long  smokings,  and  evidently  was  proud  of  his  new  friend, 
the  bald-headed  chief,  and  togjc  a  i^leaBure  in  somiding  his 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE.         201 


praises,  and  setting  forth  the  power  and  glory  of  the  Big 
Hearts  of  the  East. 

Having  disburdened  himself  of  everything  he  had  to  relate 
to  his  bathing  friends,  he  left  them  to  their  aquatic  disports, 
and  proceeded  onward  with  the  captain  and  his  companions. 
As  they  approached  the  Way-lee-way,  however,  the  communi- 
cative old  chief  met  with  another  and  a  very  different  occasion 
to  exert  his  colloquial  powers.  On  the  banks  of  the  river  stood 
an  isolated  mound  covered  with  grass.  He  pointed  to  it  with 
some  emotion.  "  The  big  heart  and  the  strong  arm,"  said  he, 
"he  buried  beneath  that  sod." 

It  was,  in  fact,  the  grave  of  one  of  his  friends ;  a  chosen 
warrior  of  the  tribe ;  who  had  been  slain  on  this  spot  when  in 
pniNuit  of  a  war  party  of  Shoshokoes,  who  had  stolen  the 
horses  of  the  village.  The  enemy  bore  off  his  scalp  as  a 
trophy ;  but  his  friends  found  his  body  in  this  lonely  place,  and 
committed  it  to  the  earth  with  ceremonials  characteristic  of 
their  pious  and  reverential  feelings.  They  gathered  round  the 
grave  and  mourned;  the  warriors  were  silent  in  their  grief; 
but  the  women  and  children  bewailed  their  losf.  with  loud 
lamentations.  "  For  three  days, "  said  the  old  man,  "we  per- 
formed the  solemn  dances  for  the  dead,  and  prayed  the  Great 
Spirit  that  our  brother  might  be  happy  in  the  land  of  brave 
warriors  and  hunters.  Then  we  killed  at  his  grave  fifteen  of 
our  best  and  strongest  horses,  to  serve  him  when  he  should 
arrive  at  the  happy  hunting  grounds;  and  having  done  all 
this,  we  returned  sorrowfully  to  our  homes." 

While  the  chief  was  still  talking  an  Indian  scout  came  gal- 
loping up  and,  presenting  him  with  a  powder  horn,  wheeled 
round,  and  was  speedily  out  of  sight.  The  eyes  of  the  old 
chief  now  brightened;  and  all  his  self-importance  returned. 
His  petty  mystery  was  about  to  explode.  Turning  to  Captain 
Bonneville,  he  pointed  to  a  hill  Imrd  l)y,  and  informed  him 
that  benind  it  was  a  village  governed  by  n  little  chief,  whom 
ho  had  notified  of  the  approach  of  the  bald-headed  chief,  and 
a  party  of  the  Big  Hearts  of  the  East,  and  that  he  was  pre- 
pared to  receive  them  in  becoming  style.  As,  among  other 
ceremonials,  he  intended  to  salute  them  with  a  discharge  of 
firearms,  he  had  sent  the  horn  of  gunpowder  that  they  might 
return  the  salute  in  a  manner  correspondent  to  his  dignity. 

They  now  proceeded  on  unlil  they  doubled  the  point  of  the 
hill,  when  the  whole  population  of  the  village  bi'oke  upon  their 
view,  drawn  out  in  the  most  imposing  stylo,  and  arrayed  in  all 


Hi 


ifr 


202 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


m 


'i  '•  ' 


their  fi.ncry.  The  effect  of  the  whole  was  wild  and  fantastic, 
yet  singularly  striking,  in  the  front  rank  were  the  chiefs  and 
principal  warriors,  glaringly  painted  and  decorated;  behind 
them  were  arranged  the  rest  of  the  people,  men,  women,  and 
children. 

Captain  Bonneville  and  his  party  advanced  slowly,  exchang- 
ing salutes  of  firearms.  When  arrived  within  a  respecti'ul 
distance  they  dismounted.  The  chiefs  then  came  forward  suc- 
cessively, according  to  their  respective  characters  and  conse- 
quence to  offer  the  hand  of  good-fellowship;  each  filing  off 
when  he  had  shaken  hands,  1»  make  way  for  his  successor. 
Those  in  the  next  rank  followed  in  the  same  order,  and  so  on, 
until  all  had  given  the  pledge  of  friendship.  During  all  this 
time,  the  chief,  according  to  custom,  took  his  stand  beside  the 
guests.  If  any  of  his  people  advanced  whom  he  judged  un- 
worthy of  the  friendship  or  confidence  of  the  white  men,  he 
motioned  them  off  by  a  wave  of  the  hand,  and  they  would  sub- 
missively walk  away.  When  Captain  Bonneville  turned  upon 
him  an  inquiring  look,  he  would  observe,  ' '  he  was  a  bad  man," 
or  something  quite  as  concise,  and  there  was  an  end  of  the 
matter. 

Mats,  poles,  and  other  materiai^,  ,vere  now  brought,  and  a 
comfortable  lodge  was  soon  erected  for  the  strangers,  where 
they  were  kept  constantly  supplied  with  wood  and  water,  and 
other  necessaries:  and  all  their  effects  were  placed  in  safe- 
keeping. Their  horses,  too,  were  unsaddled,  and  turned  loose 
to  graze  and  a  guard  set  to  keep  watch  upon  them. 

All  this  being  adjusted  they  Avere  conducted  to  the  main 
building  or  council  house  of  the  village,  Avheve  an  am]^le  repast, 
or  rather  banquet,  was  spread,  which  seemed  to  realize  all  the 
gastronomical  dreams  that  had  tantalized  them  during  their 
long  starvation ;  for  here  they  beheld  not  merely  fish  and  roots 
in  abundance,  but  the  flesh  of  deer  and  elk,  and  the  choicest 
pieces  of  buffalo  meat.  It  is  needles?!  to  say  how  vigorously 
they  acquitted  themselves  on  this  occasion,  and  how  unneces- 
sary it  was  for  their  hoots  to  practise  the  usual  cramming  prin- 
ciple of  Indian  hospitality. 

When  the  repast  was  over  a  long  talk  ensued.  The  chief 
showed  the  same  curiosity  evinced  by  his  tribe  generally,  to 
obtain  information  concerning  the  United  States,  of  which 
they  know  little  but  what  they  deriv^ed  through  their  cousins, 
the  Upper  Nez  Perces;  as  their  traffic  is  almost  exclusively 
with  the  British  traders  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.    Cap 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


203 


fain  Bonneville  did  his  best  to  set  forth  the  merits  of  his 
nation,  and  the  importance  of  their  friendship  to  the  red  men, 
in  which  he  was  ably  seconded  by  his  worthy  friend,  the  old 
chief  with  the  hard  name,  who  did  all  that  he  could  to  glorify 
the  Big  Hearts  of  the  East. 

The  chief  and  all  present  listened  with  profound  attention, 
and  evidently  with  great  interest;  nor  were  the  important 
facts  thus  set  forth  confined  to  the  audience  in  the  lodge ;  for 
sentence  after  sentence  was  loudly  repeated  by  a  crier  for  the 
benefit  of  the  whole  village. 

This  custom  of  promulgating  everytliing  by  criers  is  not 
confined  to  the  Nez  Perces,  but  prevails  among  many  other 
tribes.  It  has  its  advantage  where  there  are  no  gazettes  to 
publish  the  news  of  the  day,  or  to  report  the  proceedings  of 
important  meetings.  And  in  fact,  reports  of  this  kind,  viva 
voce,  made  in  the  hearing  of  all  parties,  and  liable  to  be  con- 
tradicted or  corrected  on  the  spot,  are  more  likely  to  convey 
accurate  information  to  the  public  mind  than  those  circulated 
through  the  press.  The  office  of  crier  is  generally  filled  by 
some  old  man,  who  is  good  for  little  else.  A  village  has  gener- 
ally several  of  these  walking  newspapers,  as  they  are  termed 
by  the  whites,  who  go  about  proclaiming  the  news  of  the  day, 
giving  notice  of  public  councils,  expeditions,  dances,  feasts, 
and  other  ceremonials,  and  advertising  anything  lost.  While 
Captain  Bonneville  remained  among  the  Nez  Pei'ces,  if  a  glove, 
handkerchief,  or  anything  of  similar  value,  was  lost  or  mislaid, 
it  was  carried  by  the  finder  to  the  lodge  of  the  chief,  and  proc- 
lamation was  made  by  one  of  their  criers,  for  the  owner  to 
come  and  claim  his  property. 

How  difficult  it  is  to  get  at  the  true  character  of  these  wan- 
dering tribes  of  the  wilderness !  In  a  recent  work,  we  have 
had  to  speak  of  this  tribe  of  Indians  from  the  experience  of 
other  traders  who  had  casually  been  among  them,  and  who 
represented  them  as  selfish,  inhospitable,  exorbitant  in  their 
dealings  and  much  addicted  to  thieving.*  Captain  Bonneville, 
on  the  contrary,  who  resided  much  among  them,  and  had  re- 
peated opportunities  of  ascertaining  their  real  character,  in- 
variably speaks  of  them  as  kind  and  hospitable,  scrupulously 
honest,  and  remarkable  above  all  other  Indians  that  he  had 
mot  with  for  a  strong  feeling  of  religion.  In  fact,  so  enthusi- 
astic is  he  in  their  praise,  that  he  pronounces  them,  all  igno- 

♦  Vide  Astoria,  cliap  lil. 


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204        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 

rant  and  barbarous  as  they  are  by  their  condition,  one  of  tho 
idircst-hearted  people  on  the  face  of  tho  earth. 

Some  cures  which  Captain  Bonneville  had  effected  in  simple 
cases,  among  the  Upper  Nez  Perces,  had  reached  the  ears  of 
their  cousins  here,  and  gained  for  him  the  reputation  of  a 
{^roat  medicine  man.  He  had  not  been  long  in  the  village, 
therefore,  before  his  lodge  began  to  be  the  resort  of  the  sick 
and  the  infirm.  The  captain  felt  the  value  of  the  reputation 
thus  accidentally  and  cheaply  acquired,  and  endeavored  to 
sustain  it.  As  he  had  arrived  at  that  age  when  every  man  is, 
experimentally,  something  of  a  physician,  he  was  enabled  to 
turn  to  advantage  the  little  knowledge  in  the  healing  art 
wliich  he  had  casually  picked  up;  and  was  sufficiently  suc- 
cessful in  two  or  three  ca^^es,  to  convince  the  simple  Indians 
that  report  had  not  exaggerated  his  medical  talents.  The  only 
patient  that  effectually  baffled  his  skill,  or  rather  discouraged 
any  attempt  at  relief,  was  an  antiquated  squaw  with  a  church- 
yard cough,  and  one  leg  in  the  grave ;  it  being  shrunk  and  ren- 
dered useless  by  a  rheumatic  affection.  This  vr-s  a  case  beyond 
his  mark ;  however,  he  comforted  the  old  woman  with  a  promise 
that  he  would  endeavor  to  procure  something  to  relieve  her,  at 
the  fort  on  the  Wallah- Walkih,  and  would  bring  it  on  his  re- 
turn; with  which  assurance  her  husband  was  so  well  satisfied 
that  he  presented  the  captain  with  a  colt,  to  be  killed  as  pro- 
visions for  the  journey ;  a  medical  fee  which  was  thankfuUy 
accepted. 

While  among  these  Indians  Captain  Bonneville  unexpectedly 
found  an  owner  for  the  horse  which  he  had  purchased  from  a 
Root  Digger  at  the  Big  Wyer.  The  Indian  satisfactorily  proved 
that  the  horse  had  been  stolen  from  him  some  time  previous, 
by  some  unknown  thief.  "However,"  said  the  considerate 
savage,  "you  got  him  in  fair  trade -you  are  more  in  want  of 
horses  than  I  am;  keep  him;  he  is  yours— he  is  a  good  horse; 
use  him  well." 

Thus,  in  the  continual  experience  of  acts  of  kindness  and 
generosity,  which  his  destitute  condition  did  not  allow  him  to 
reciprocate.  Captain  Bonneville  passed  some  short  time  among 
these  good  people,  more  and  more  impressed  with  the  general 
excellence  of  their  character. 


m 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE.        205 


CHAPTER  XXXin. 

«6ENfiRy  <!)F  YME  WAY-LEE- WAY— A  SUBSTITUTE  FOR  TOBACCO- 
SUBLIME  tSCENERY  OF  SNAKE  RIVER  — THE  GARRULOUS  OLD 
CHIEF  AND  HIS  COUSIN — A  NEZ  PERCfe  MEETING — A  STOLEN 
SKIN— THE  SCAPEGOAT  DOG—MYSTERIOUS  CONFERENCES— THE 
LITTLE  CHIEF— MIS  HOSPITAUTY— THE  CAPTAIN'S  ACCOUNT  OF 
THE  UNITED  STATED— HIS  HEALING  SKILL. 

In  resuming  his  jo\<mey,  Captain  Bonneville  was  conducted 
by  the  same  Nez  Perce  guide,  whose  knowledge  o^  the  country 
was  important  in  choosing  the  routes  and  resting-places.  He 
also  continued  to  be  accompanied  by  the  worthy  old  chief  with 
the  hard  name,  who  seemed  bent  upon  doing  the  honors  of  the 
coimtry,  and  introducing  him  to  every  branch  of  his  tribe. 
The  Way-lee-way,  down  the  banks  of  which  Captain  Bonne- 
ville and  his  companions  were  now  traveUing,  is  a  considera- 
ble stream  winding  through  a  succession  of  bold  and  beautiful 
scenes.  Sometimes  the  landscape  towered  into  bold  and  moun- 
tainous heights  that  partook  of  sublimity;  at  other  times  it 
stretched  along  the  water  side  in  fresh  smiling  meadows  and 
grateful  undulating  valleys. 

Frequently  in  their  route  they  encountered  small  parties  of 
the  Nez  Perces,  with  whom  they  invariably  stopped  to  shake 
hands ;  and  who,  generally,  evinced  great  curiosity  concerning 
them  and  their  adventures;  a  curiosity  which  nevor  failed  to 
be  thoroughly  satisfied  by  the  replies  of  the  worthy  Yo-mus- 
ro-y-e-cut,  who  kindly  took  upon  himself  to  be  spokesman  of 
the  party. 

The  incessant  smoking  of  pipes  incident  to  the  long  talks  of 
this  excellent,  but  somewhat  garrulous  old  chief,  at  length  ex- 
hausted all  his  stock  of  tobacco,  so  that  he  had  no  longer  a 
whiff  with  which  to  regale  his  white  companions.  In  this 
emergency  he  cut  up  the  stem  of  his  pipe  into  fine  shavings, 
which  he  mixed  with  certain  herbs,  and  thus  manufactured  a 
temporary  succedaneum  to  enable  him  to  accompany  his  long 
colloquies  and  harangues  with  the  customary  fi'agrant  cloud. 

If  the  scenery  of  the  Way-loe-way  had  cliarmed  the  travel- 
lers with  its  mingled  amenity  and  grandeur,  that  which  broke 


t  )i 


>    H 


t' 


i 


i    !! 


I    s'^^B^Hh'T''*^  ^ 

liPI^'  ■; 

206 


ADVr^NrURES  OF  CAPTAXN  BONNEVILLE. 


upon  them  on  once  more  reaching  Snake  River,  filled  them 
with  admiration  and  astonishment.  At  times,  the  river  was 
overhung  by  dark  and  stupendous  rocks,  rising  like  gigantic 
walls  and  battlements ;  these  would  be  rent  by  wide  and  yawn- 
ing chasms,  that  seemed  to  speak  of  past  convulsions  of  nature. 
Sometimes  the  river  was  of  a  glassy  smoothness  and  placidity, 
at  other  times  it  roared  along  in  impetuous  rapids  and  foaming 
cascades.  Here,  the  rocks  were  piled  in  the  most  fantastic 
crags  and  precipices;  and  in  another  place  they  Avere  suc- 
ceeded by  deliglitful  valleys  carpeted  with  greensward.  The 
whole  of  this  wild  and  varied  scenery  was  dominated  by  im- 
mense mountains  rearing  their  distant  peaks  into  the  clouds. 
"The  grandeur  and  originality  of  the  views  presented  on 
every  side,"  says  Captain  Bonneville,  ''beggar  both  the  pencil 
and  the  pen.  Nothing  we  had  ever  gazed  upon  in  any  other 
region  could  for  a  moment  compare  in  wild  majesty  and  im- 
pressive sternness  with  the  series  of  scenes  which  here  at 
every  turn  astonished  our  senses  and  filled  us  with  awe  and 
delight." 

Indeed,  from  all  that  we  can  gather  from  the  journal  before 
us,  and  the  accounts  of  other  travellers,  who  passed  through 
these  regions  in  the  memorable  enterprise  of  Astoria,  we  are 
inclined  to  think  that  Snake  River  must  be  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable for  varied  and  striking  scenery  of  all  the  rivers  of 
this  continent.  From  its  head-waters  in  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, to  its  junction  with  the  Columbia,  its  windings  are  up- 
ward of  six  hundred  mdes  through  every  variety  of  landscape. 
Rising  in  a  volcanic  region,  amid  extinguished  craters,  and 
mountains  awful  with  the  traces  of  ancient  fires,  it  makes  its 
way  through  great  plains  of  lava  and  sandy  deserts,  penetrates 
vast  sierras  or  mountainous  chains,  broken  into  romantic  and 
often  frightful  precipices,  and  crowned  with  eternal  snows; 
and  at  other  times  careers  through  green  and  smiling  mead- 
ows and  wide  landscai)es  of  Italian  grace  and  beauty.  Wild- 
ness  and  sublimity,  however,  appear  to  be  its  prevailing  char- 
acteristics. 

Captain  Bonneville  and  his  companions  had  pursued  their 
journey  a  considerable  distance  down  the  course  of  Snake 
River,  when  the  old  chief  halted  on  the  bank,  and  dismounting, 
recommended  that  they  should  turn  their  horses  loose  to  graze, 
while  he  summoned  a  cousin  of  his  from  a  group  of  lodges  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  stream.  His  summons  was  quiclcly 
answered.    An  Indian,  of  an  active,  elastic  form,  leaped  into  a 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


207 


light  canoe  of  cotton-wood,  and  vigorously  plying  the  paddle, 
soon  shot  across  the  river.  Bounding  on  shore,  he  advanced 
with  a  buoyant  air  and  frank  demeanor,  and  gave  his  right 
hand  to  each  of  the  party  in  turn.  The  old  chief,  whose  hard 
name  we  forbear  to  repeat,  now  presented  Captain  Bonneville, 
in  form,  to  his  cousin,  whose  name,  we  regi-et  to  say,  was  no 
less  hard,  bsing  nothing  less  than  Hay-she-in-cow-cow.  The 
latter  evinced  the  usual  curiosity  to  know  all  about  the  stran- 
gers, whence  they  came,  whither  they  were  going,  the  object 
of  their  journey,  and  the  adventures  they  had  experienced. 
All  these,  of  course,  were  amply  and  eloquently  set  forth  by 
the  communicative  old  chief.  To  all  his  grandiloquent  account 
of  the  bald-headed  chief  and  his  countrymen,  the  Big  Hearts 
of  the  East,  his  cousin  hstened  with  great  attention,  and  replied 
in  the  customary  style  of  Indian  welcome.  He  then  desired 
the  party  to  await  his  return,  and,  springing  into  his  canoe, 
darted  across  the  river.  In  a  little  while  he  returned,  bringing 
a  most  welcome  supply  of  tobacco,  and  a  small  stock  of  pro- 
visions for  the  road,  declaring  his  intention  of  accompanying 
the  party.  Having  no  horse,  he  mounted  behind  one  of  the 
men,  observing  that  he  should  procure  a  steed  for  himself  on 
the  following  day. 

They  all  now  jogged  on  very  sociably  and  cheerily  together. 
Not  many  miles  beyond,  they  met  others  of  the  tribe,  among 
wjiom  was  one  whom  Captain  Bonneville  and  his  comrades 
had  known  during  their  residence  among  the  Upper  Nez 
Perces,  and  who  welcomed  them  wiln  open  arms.  In  this 
neighborhood  was  the  home  of  their  guide,  who  took  leave  of 
them  with  a  profusion  of  good  wishes  for  their  safety  and  hap- 
piness. That  night  they  put  up  in  the  hut  of  a  Nez  Perce, 
where  they  were  visited  by  several  warriors  from  the  other 
side  of  the  river,  friends  of  the  old  chief  and  his  cousin,  who 
came  to  have  a  talk  and  a  smoke  with  the  white  men.  The 
heart  of  the  good  old  clitef  was  overflowing  with  good-will  at 
thus  being  surrounded  by  his  new  and  old  friends,  and  he 
talked  with  more  spirit  and  vivacity  than  ever.  The  evening 
passed  away  in  perfect  harmony  and  f ;•  od-humor,  and  it  was 
not  until  a  late  hour  that  the  visitors  took  their  leave  and  re- 
crossed  the  river. 

After  this  constant  picture  of  worth  and  virtue  on  the  part 
of  the  Nez  Pcrc^  tribe,  wo  grieve  to  have  to  record  a  circum- 
stance calculated  to  throw  a  temporary  shade  upon  the  name. 
In  the  course  of  the  social  and  harmonious  evening  just  men- 


,?.  ? 


'if: 


13''     • 


208 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


tioned,  one  of  the  captain's  men,  who  happened  to  bo  some- 
tliiiig  of  a  virtuoso  in  his  way,  and  fond  of  collecting  curiosi- 
ties, produced  a  small  skin,  a  great  rarity  in  the  eyes  of  men 
conversant  in  peltiies.  It  attracted  much  attention  among  the 
visitors  from  beyond  the  river,  who  passed  it  from  one  to  the 
other,  examined  it  with  looks  of  lively  admiration,  and  pro- 
nounced it  a  great  medicine. 

In  the  morning,  when  the  captain  and  his  party  were  about 
to  set  off,  the  precious  skin  was  missing.  Search  was  made 
for  it  in  the  hut,  but  it  was  nowhere  to  be  found ;  and  it  was 
strongly  suspected  that  it  had  been  purloined  by  some  of  the 
connoisseurs  from  the  other  side  of  the  river. 

The  old  chief  and  his  cousin  were  indignant  at  the  supposed 
delinquency  of  their  friends  across  the  water,  and  called  out 
for  them  to  come  over  and  answer  for  their  shameful  conduct. 
The  others  answered  to  the  call  -with  all  the  promptitude  of 
perfect  innocence,  and  spurned  at  the  idea  of  their  being  capa- 
ble of  such  outrage  upon  any  of  the  Big-hearted  nation.  All 
were  at  a  loss  on  whom  to  fix  the  crime  of  abstracting  the  in- 
valuable skin,  when  by  chance  the  eyes  of  the  worthies  from 
beyond  the  water  fell  upon  an  unhappy  cur,  belonging  to  the 
owner  of  the  hut.  He  was  a  gaUows-looking  dog,  but  not  more 
so  than  most  Indian  dogs  who,  take  them  in  the  mass,  are  little 
better  than  a  generation  of  vipers.  Be  that  ns  it  may,  he  was 
instantly  accused  of  having  devoured  the  skin  in  question.  A 
dog  accused  is  generally  a  dog  condemned;  and  a  dog  con- 
demned is  generally  a  dog  executed.  So  was  it  in  the  present 
instance.  The  unfortunate  cur  w^s  arraigned;  his  thievish 
looks  substantiated  his  guilt,  and  he  was  condemned  by  his 
judges  from  across  the  river  to  be  hanged.  In  vain  the  In- 
dians of  the  hut,  with  whom  he  was  a  great  favorite,  interceded 
in  his  behalf.  In  vain  Captain  Bonneville  and  his  comrades 
petitioned  that  his  life  might  be  spared.  His  judges  were  inex- 
orable. He  was  doubly  guilty ;  first,  in  having  robbed  their 
good  friends,  the  Big  Hearts  of  the  East ;  secondly,  in  having;' 
brought  a  doubt  on  the  honor  of  the  Nez  Perce  tribe.  He  was, 
accordingly,  swung  aloft,  and  pelted  with  stones  to  make 
his  death  more  certain.  The  sentence  of  the  judges  being 
thoroughly  executed,  a  post  mortem  examination  of  the  body 
of  the  dog  was  held  to  establish  his  delinquency  beyond  all 
doubt,  and  to  leave  the  Nez  Perces  without  a  shadow  of  suspi' 
cion.  Great  interest,  of  course,  was  manifested  by  all  present, 
during  this  operation.    Tlie  body  of  the  dog  was  opened,  the 


III 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


209 


intestines  rigorously  scrutinized,  but,  to  the  horror  of  all  con- 
cerned, not  a  particle  of  the  skin  was  to  be  found— the  dog  had 
been  unjustly  executed. 

A  great  clamor  now  ensued,  but  the  most  clamorous  was  the 
party  from  across  the  river,  whose  jealousy  of  their  good  name 
now  prompted  them  to  the  most  vociferous  vindications  of 
their  innocence.  It  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty  that  the 
captain  and  his  comrades  could  calm  their  lively  sonsil>ilities, 
by  accounting  for  the  disappearance  of  the  skin  in  a  dozen 
different  ways,  until  all  idea  of  its  having  been  stolen  was 
entirely  out  of  the  question. 

The  meeting  now  broke  up.  The  warriors  returned  across 
the  river,  the  captain  and  his  comrades  proceeded  on  their 
journey;  but  the  spirits  of  the  communicative  old  chief,  Yo- 
mus-ro-y-e-cut,  were  for  a  time  completely  dampened,  and  he 
evinced  great  mortification  at  what  had  just  occurred.  Ho 
rode  on  in  silence,  except  that  now  and  then  he  would  give 
way  to  a  burst  of  indignation,  and  exclaim,  with  a  shake  of  the 
head  and  a  toss  of  the  hand  toward  the  opposite  shore — "bad 
men,  very  bad  men  across  the  river;"  to  each  of  which  brief 
exclamations,  his  worthy  cousin,  Ilay-she-in-cow-cow,  would 
respond  by  a  deep  guttural  sound  of  acquiescence,  equivalent 
to  an  amen. 

After  some  time  the  countenance  of  the  old  chief  again 
cleared  up,  and  he  fell  into  repeated  conferences,  in  an  under- 
tone, with  his  cousin,  which  ended'  in  the  departure  of  the  lat- 
ter, who,  applying  the  lash  to  his  horse,  dashed  forward  and 
was  soon  out  of  sight.  In  fact,  they  were  drawing  near  to  the 
village  of  another  chief,  Ukewise  distinguished  by  an  appella- 
tion of  some  longitude,  0-push-y-e-cut,  but  commonly  known 
as  the  great  chief.  The  cousin  had  been  sent  ahead  to  give 
notice  of  their  approach ;  a  herald  appeared  as  before,  bearing 
a  powder-horn,  to  enable  them  to  respond  to  the  intended  sa- 
lute. A  scene  ensued,  on  their  approach  to  the  village,  similar 
to  that  which  had  occurred  at  the  village  of  the  Jittle  chief. 
The  whole  population  appeared  i  i  the  field,  drawn  up  in  lines, 
arrayed  with  the  customary  regard  to  rank  and  dignity.  Then 
came  on  the  firing  of  salutes,  and  the  shaking  of  hands,  in 
v/hich  last  ceremonial  every  individual,  man,  woman,  and 
child,  participated ;  for  the  Indians  have  an  idea  that  it  is  as 
indispensable  an  overture  of  friendship  among  the  whites  as 
smoking  of  the  pipe  is  among  tlie  red  men.  The  travellers 
were  next  ushered  to  the  banquet,  where  all  the  choicest  vi- 


!   '! 


i     ! 


Ki    ' 


i    : 


llif 


-  *  a  -^i  -  i  II 


210 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


ands  that  the  village  could  furnish,  were  served  up  in  rich  pro- 
fusion. They  were  afterward  entertained  by  feats  of  agility 
and  horse-races ;  indeed  their  visit  to  the  village  seemed  the 
signal  for  complete  festivity.  In  the  meantime,  a  skin  lod;!;o 
had  been  spread  for  their  accommodation,  their  hoiises  and 
baggage  were  taken  care  of,  and  wood  and  water  supplied  in 
abundance.  At  night,  therefore,  they  retired  to  their  cjuar 
ters,  to  enjoy,  as  they  supposed,  the  repose  of  which  they 
stood  in  need.  No  such  thing,  however,  was  in  store  for  them. 
A  crowd  of  visitors  awaited  their  appearance,  all  eager  for  a 
smoke  and  a  talk.  The  pipe  was  immediately  lighted,  and 
constantly  replenished  and  kept  alive  until  the  night  was  far 
advanced.  As  usual,  the  utmost  eagerness  wiis  evinced  by  the 
guests  to  learn  everything  within  the  scope  of  their  compre- 
hension respecting  the  Americans,  for  whom  they  professed 
the  most  fraternal  regard.  The  captain,  in  his  replies,  made 
use  of  familiar  illustrations  calcidated  to  strike  their  minds, 
and  impress  them  with  such  an  idea  of  the  might  of  his  nation 
as  woidd  induce  them  to  treat  with  kindness  and  respect  all 
stragglers  that  might  fall  in  their  path.  To  their  inquiries  as 
to  the  nimibers  of  the  people  of  the  United  States,  he  assured 
them  that  they  were  as  countless  as  the  blades  of  grass  in  the 
prairies,  and  that,  great  as  Snake  River  was,  if  they  were  ail 
encamped  upon  its  banks  they  would  drink  it  dry  in  a  single 
day.  To  these  and  similar  statistics  they  listened  with  pro- 
found attention  and  apparently  implicit  belief.  It  was,  indeed, 
a  striking  scene :  the  captain,  with  his  hunter's  dress  and  bald 
head  in  the  midst,  holding  forth,  and  his  wild  auditors  seated 
around  like  so  many  statues,  the  fire  lighting  up  their  painted 
faces  and  muscular  figures,  all  fixed  and  motionless,  excepting 
when  the  pipe  v/as  passed,  a  question  propounded,  or  a  start- 
hng  fact  in  statistics  received  with  a  movement  of  surprise  and 
a  half-suppressed  ejaculation  of  wonder  and  delight. 

The  fame  of  the  captain  tis  a  healer  of  diseases  had  accom- 
panied him  to  tliis  village,  and  the  great  chief  0-push-y-e-cut 
now  entreated  him  to  exert  his  skill  on  his  daughter,  who  had 
been  for  three  days  racked  with  pains,  for  which  the  Pierced- 
nose  doctors  could  devise  no  alleviation.  The  captain  found 
her  extended  on  a  pallet  of  mats  in  excruciating  pain.  Her 
father  manifested  the  strongest  paternal  affection  for  her,  and 
assured  the  captain  that  if  he  would  but  cure  her,  he  would 
■V)lace  the  Americans  near  his  heart.  The  worthy  captain 
aeeded  no  such  inducement.     His  kind  heart  was  already 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


211 


touched  by  the  sufferings  of  the  poor  girl,  and  his  sympathies 
quickened  by  her  appearance ;  for  she  was  but  about  sixteen 
years  of  age,  and  imcomnionly  beautiful  in  fonn  and  feature. 
The  only  difficulty  with  the  captain  was  that  he  know  nothing 
of  her  malady,  and  that  his  medical  science  was  of  a  most  hap- 
hazard kind.  After  considering  and  cogitating  for  some  time, 
as  a  man  is  apt  to  do  when  in  a  maxe  of  vague  ideas,  he  made 
a  desperate  dash  at  a  remedy.  By  his  directions  the  girl  was 
placed  in  a  sort  of  rude  vapor  bath,  much  used  by  the  Nez 
Perces,  where  she  was  kept  until  near  fainting.  He  then  gave 
her  a  dose  of  gunpowder  dissolved  in  cold  water,  and  ordered 
her  to  be  wrapped  in  buffalo  robes  and  put  to  sleep  under  a 
load  of  furs  and  blankets.  The  remedy  succeeded;  the  next 
morning  she  was  free  from  pain,  though  extremely  languid; 
whereupon  the  captain  prescribed  for  her  a  bowl  of  colt's  head 
broth,  and  that  she  should  be  kept  for  a  time  on  simple  diet. 

The  great  chief  was  unbounded  in  his  expressions  of  grati- 
tude for  the  recovery  of  his  daughter.  He  would  fain  Lavo 
detained  the  captain  a  long  time  as  his  guest,  but  the  time  for 
departure  had  arrived.  When  the  captain's  horse  was  brought 
for  hiin  to  mount,  the  chief  declared  that  the  steed  was  not 
worthy  of  him,  and  sent  for  one  of  his  best  horses,  which  ho 
presented  in  its  stead ;  declaring  that  it  made  his  heai-t  glad  to 
see  his  friend  so  well  mounted.  He  then  appointed  a  young 
Nez  Perce  to  accompany  liis  guest  to  the  next  village,  and  "to 
carry  his  talk"  concerning  them ;  and  the  two  parties  separated 
with  mutual  expressions  of  kindness  and  feelings  of  good-will. 

The  vapor  bath  of  which  we  have  made  mention  is  in  fre- 
quent use  among  the  Nez  Perce  tribe,  chiefly  for  cleanliness. 
Their  sweating-houses,  as  they  call  them,  are  small  and  close 
lodges,  and  the  vapor  is  produced  by  water  poured  slowly  upon 
red-hot  stones. 

On  passing  the  limits  of  0-push-y-e-cut's  domains,  the  travel- 
lers left  the  elevated  table-lands,  and  all  the  wild  and  romantic 
scenery  which  has  just  been  described.  They  now  traversed  a 
gently  undulating  country,  of  such  fertility  that  it  excited  the 
rapturous  admiration  of  two  of  the  captain's  followers,  a  Ken- 
tuckian  and  a  native  of  Ohio.  They  declared  that  it  surpassed 
any  land  that  they  had  ever  seen,  and  often  exclaimed  what  a 
delight  it  would  be  just  to  run  a  plough  through  such  a  rich 
and  teeming  soil,  and  see  it  open  its  bountiful  promise  before 
the  share. 

Another  halt  and  sojourn  of  a  night  was  made  at  the  village 


\ 


i 


!. 


I 

>  H 


11 


t  i 


'! 


;;  i 


212 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


of  a  chief  named  He-inim-cl-pilp,  where  similar  ceremonies 
were  observed  and  hospitaUty  experienced  as  at  the  precede 
ing  villages.  They  now  pursued  a  west-southwest  course 
through  a  beautiful  and  fertile  region;  better  wooded  than  most 
of  the  tracts  through  which  they  had  passed.  In  their  pro- 
gress, they  met  with  several  bands  of  Nez  Perces,  by  whom 
they  were  invariably  treated  with  the  utmost  kindness.  Willi- 
in  seven  days  after  leaving  the  domain  of  He-mi:n-el-pilp,  thoy 
struck  the  Columbia  River  at  Fort  Wallah- Wallah,  where  they 
arrived  on  the  4th  of  March,  1834.  '. 


I  f '  fdi 


'  n 


■UP 


M 


y.y    I       /»! 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

FORT  WALLAH-WALLAH  ~  ITS  COMMANDER  —  INDIANS  IN  ITS 
NEIGHBORHOOD  —  EXERTIONS  OF  MR.  PAMBRUNE  FOR  THEIR 
IMPROVEMENT  — RELIGION  — CODE  OF  LAWS  — RANGE  OF  THh: 
LOWER  NEZ  PERCES- CAM  ASH,  AND  OTHER  ROOTS — NEZ  PERCE 
HORSES — PREPARATIONS  FOR  DEPARTURE— REFUSAL  OF  SUP- 
PLIE&— DEPARTURE— A  LAGGARD  AND  GLUTTON. 

Fort  Wallah-Wallah  is  a  trading-post  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  situated  just  above  the  mouth  of  the  river  of 
the  same  name;  and  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Columbia.  It  is 
built  of  drift-wood,  and  calculated  merely  for  defence  against 
any  attack  of  the  natives.  At  the  time  of  C  i'-ptain  Bonneville's 
arrival,  the  whole  garrison  mustered  but  six  or  eight  num: 
and  the  post  was  imder  the  superintendence  of  Mr.  Panibrune, 
an  agent  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 

The  great  post  and  fort  of  the  company,  forming  the  em- 
porium of  its  trade  on  the  Pacific,  is  Fort  Vancouver;  situaUnl 
en  the  right  bank  of  the  Columbia,  about  sixty  miles  from  tlie 
sea,  and  just  above  the  mouth  of  the  Wnllamut.  To  this  point 
the  comj^any  removed  its  establishment  from  Astoria,  in  18i'l, 
after  itp  coalition  with  the  Northwest  Company. 

Captain  IJonneville  and  his  comrades  experienced  a  polilc 
reception  f iv  m  Mr.  Pjimbrune,  the  su]ierinten(lent :  for,  hovv- 
ever  hostile  the  membeis  of  th(^  Britisli  Company  may  be  to 
the  enterprises  of  American  ti'adevs,  they  have  always  mani- 
fested great  courtesy  and  nos]>il;ility  1o  the  traders  tliemsclves. 

Fort  Wallah- Wallali  is  surrounded  by  the  tiibe  of  the  same 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTMN  BONNEVILLE. 


213 


name,  as  well  as  by  the  Skynses  and  the  Nez  Perces ;  who 
brin^  to  it  the  furs  and  peltries  collected  in  their  hunting  ex- 
peditions. The  Wallah-Wallahs  are  a  degenerate,  wornout 
tribe.  The  Nez  Perces  are  the  most  numerous  and  tractable 
of  the  three  tribes  just  mentioned.  Mr.  Pambrune  inft»rnied 
Captain  Bonneville  that  he  had  been  at  some  pains  to  intro- 
duce the  Christian  religion,  in  the  Roman  Catholic  form, 
among  them,  where  it  had  evidently  taken  root ;  but  had  be- 
come altered  and  modified  to  suit  their  peculiar  habits  of 
thought  and  motives  of  action ;  retaining,  however,  the  princi- 
pal points  of  faith  and  its  entire  precepts  of  morality.  The 
tame  gentleman  had  given  them  a  code  of  laws,  to  which  they 
conformed  with  scrupulous  fidelity.  Polygamy,  which  once 
prevailed  among  them  to  a  great  extent,  was  now  rarely  in- 
dulged. All  the  crimes  denounced  by  the  Cluistian  faith  met 
with  severe  punishment  among  them.  Even  theft,  so  venial  a 
crime  among  the  Indians,  had  recently  been  punished  with 
hanging,  by  sentence  of  a  chief. 

There  certainly  appears  to  be  a  peculiar  susceptibiUty  of 
moral  and  religious  improvement  among  this  tribe,  and  they 
would  seem  to  be  one  of  the  very,  very  few  that  have  bene- 
fited in  morals  and  manners  by  an  intercourse  with  white 
men.  The  parties  which  visited  them  about  twenty  years 
previously',  in  the  expedition  fitted  out  by  Mr.  Astor,  com- 
plained of  their  selfishn'^ss,  their  extortion,  and  their  thievish 
propensities.  The  very  reverse  of  those  qualities  prevailed 
among  them  during  the  prolonged  sojourns  of  Captain  Bonne- 
ville. 

The  Lower  Nez  Perces  range  upon  the  Way-lee -way,  Im- 
mahah,  Yenghies,  and  other  of  the  streams  west  of  the  moun- 
tains. They  hunt  the  beaver,  elk,  deer,  white  bear,  and 
mountain  sheep.  Beside  the  flesh  of  these  animals,  they  use  a 
number  of  roots  for  food ;  some  of  which  would  be  well  worth 
transplanting  and  cultivating  in  the  Atlantic  States.  Among 
those  is  the  camash,  a  sweet  root,  about  the  form  and  size  of 
an  onion,  and  said  to  be  really  dc^licious.  The  cowish,  also,  or 
biscuit  root,  about  the  size  of  a  walnut,  which  they  reduce  to  a 
very  palatable  flour;  together  with  the  jackap  aisish,  quako, 
and  others;  which  they  cook  by  steaming  them  in  the  ground. 
In  August  and  September,  these  Indians  keep  aVm^  the  rivers, 
where  they  catch  and  dry  great  quantities  of  salmon;  which, 
while  they  last,  are  their  principal  food.  In  the  winter  they 
congregate  in  villages  formed  of  comfortable  huts,  or  lodjseB, 


;  i  i 


:l 


ii 


I 

■' 

i    WB 

■■ 

f 

mA 

t 

3  ^  .r  ^ 


\Ll 


f*'v 


I;! 


I 


1^*        ii 


S  J 


I         ]\ 


214 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


covered  with  mats.  They  are  generally  clad  in  deer  skins,  or 
woollens,  and  extremely  well  armed.  Above  all,  they  arc 
celebrated  for  owning  great  numbers  of  horses;  which  they 
mark,  and  then  suffer  to  range  in  droves  in  their  most  fertile 
pla'.iS.  These  horses  are  principally  of  the  pony  breed;  but 
remarkably  stout  and  long-winded.  They  arc  brought  in  gi'eat 
numbers  to  the  establishments  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company, 
and  sold  for  a  mere  trifle. 

Such  is  the  account  given  by  Captain  Bonneville  of  the  Ncz 
Perces ;  who,  if  not  viewed  by  him  with  too  partial  an  eye,  are 
certainly  among  the  gentlest  and  least  barbarous  people  of 
these  remote  wildernesses.  They  invariably  signified  to  him 
their  earnest  wish  that  an  American  post  might  be  established 
among  them ;  and  repeatedly  declared  that  they  would  trade 
with  Americans  in  preference  to  any  other  people. 

Captain  Bonneville  had  intended  to  remain  some  time  in  this 
neighborhood,  to  form  an  acquaintance  with  the  natives  and 
to  collect  information,  and  establish  connections  that  might  be 
advantageous  in  the  way  of  trade.  The  delays,  however, 
which  he  had  experienced  on  his  journey,  obliged  him  to 
shorten  his  sojourn,  and  to  set  off  as  soon  as  possible,  so  as  to 
reach  the  rendezvous  at  the  Portneuf  at  the  appointed  time. 
He  had  seen  enough  to  convince  him  that  an  American  trade 
might  be  carried  on  with  advantage  in  this  quarter ;  and  he 
determined  soon  to  return  with  a  stronger  party,  more  com- 
pletely fitted  for  the  purpose. 

As  he  stood  in  need  of  some  supplies  for  his  journey,  he  ap- 
plied to  purchase  them  of  Mr.  Pnmbrune :  but  soon  found  the 
difference  between  being  treated  as  a  guest,  or  as  a  rival 
trader.  The  worthy  su;terintendent,  who  had  extended  to 
him  all  the  genial  rites  of  Losjiitality,  now  suddenly  assumed 
a  withered  up  aspect  and  demeanor,  and  observed  that,  how- 
ever he  might  feel  disposed  to  serve  him,  persons  /,  he  felt 
bound  by  his  duty  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  to  do  noth- 
ing which  should  facilitate  or  encourage  tho  visits  of  other 
traders  among  the  Indians  in  that  part  of  the  country.  He 
endeavored  to  dissuade  Captain  Bonneville  from  returning 
through  the  Blue  Mountains;  assuring  him  it  would  be  ex- 
tremely difficult  and  dangerous,  if  not  impracticable,  at  this 
season  of  the  year;  and  advised  him  to  accompany  Mr. 
Payette,  a  leader  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  who  was 
about  to  depart  with  a  number  of  men,  by  a  more  circuitous, 
but  safe  route,  to  carry  supplies  to  the  company's  agent,  rest' 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


215 


dent  among  the  Upper  Nez  Perces.  Captain  Bonneville,  how- 
ever, piqued  at  his  having  refused  to  fui*nish  him  with  sup- 
plies, and  doubting  the  sincerity  of  his  advice,  deteimined  to 
return  by  the  more  direct  route  through  the  mountains; 
though  varying  his  course,  in  some  respects,  from  that  by 
which  ho  had  come,  in  consequence  of  information  gathered 
among  the  neighboring  Indians. 

Accordingly,  on  the  6th  of  March  ho  and  his  three  com- 
jmnions,  accompanied  by  their  Nez  Perce  guides,  set  out  on 
their  return.  lA  the  early  part  of  their  coui-se,  they  touched 
again  at  several  of  the  Nez  Perce  villages,  where  they  had  ex- 
perienced such  kind  treatment  on  their  way  down.  They  were 
always  welcomed  with  cordiality ;  and  everything  was  done  to 
cheer  them  on  their  journey. 

On  leaving  the  Way-lee- way  village,  they  were  joined  by  a 
Nez  Perce,  whose  society  was  welcomed  on  account  of  the 
general  gratitude  and  good-will  they  felt  for  his  tribe.  He 
soon  proved  a  heavy  clog  upon  the  little  party,  being  doltish 
and  taciturn,  lazy  in  the  extreme,  and  a  huge  feeder.  His 
only  proof  of  intellect  was  in  shrewdly  avoiding  all  labor,  and 
availing  himself  of  the  toil  of  others.  When  on  the  march,  he 
always  lagged  behind  the  rest,  leaving  to  them  the  task  of 
breaking  a  way  through  all  difficulties  and  imjDedimcnts,  and 
leisurely  and  lazily  jogging  along  the  track,  which  they  had 
beaten  through  the  snow.  At  the  evening  encampment,  when 
others  were  busy  gathering  fuel,  providing  for  the  horses,  and 
cooking  the  evening  repast,  this  worthy  Sancho  of  the  wilder- 
ness would  take  his  seat  quietly  and  cosily  by  the  fire,  puffing 
away  at  his  pipe,  and  eyeing  in  silence,  but  with  wistful  inten- 
sity of  gaze,  the  savory  morsels  roasting  for  supper. 

When  meal-time  ariived,  however,  then  came  his  season  of 
activity.  He  no  longer  hung  back,  and  waited  for  others  to 
take  the  lead,  but  distinguished  himself  by  a  brilliancy  of  on- 
set and  a  sustained  vigor  and  duration  of  attack  that  com- 
pletely shamed  the  efforts  of  his  competitors— albeit,  experi- 
enced trenchermen  of  no  mean  prowess.  Never  had  they 
witnessed  such  power  of  mastication  and  such  marvellous 
capacity  of  stomach  as  in  this  native  and  uncultivated  gas- 
tronome. Having,  by  repeated  and  prolonged  assaults,  at 
length  completely  gorged  himself,  he  would  wrap  himself  up, 
and  lie  with  the  torpor  of  an  anaconda,  slowly  digesting  his 
way  on  to  tlie  next  repast. 

The  gormandizing  powers  of  this  worthy  were,  at  first,  mat- 


? 


:^: 


^•'i    ; 


216 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


ters  of  surprise  and  merriment  to  the  travellers;  but  they  soon 
became  too  serious  for  a  joke,  threatening  devastation  to  the 
fleshpots;  and  he  was  regarded  askance,  at  his  meals,  as  a 
regular  kiU-crop,  destined  to  waste  the  substance  of  the  party. 
Nothing  but  a  sense  of  the  obligations  they  were  under  to  his 
nation  mdu^ed  them  to  bear  with  such  a  guest ;  but  he  pro- 
ceeded, speedily,  to  reUeve  them  from  the  weight  of  these 
obligations,  by  eating  a  receipt  in  full. 


SMk 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 


THE  UNINVITED  GUEST— FREE  AND  EASY  MANNERS — SALUTARY 
JOKES— A  PRODIGAL  SON— EXIT  OF  THE  GLUTTON— A  SUDDEN 
CHANGE  IN  FORTUNE — DANGER  OF  A  VISIT  TO  POOR  RELATIONS 
— PLUCKING  OF  A  PROSPEROUS  MAN — A  VAGABOND  TOILET— 
A  SUBSTITUTE  FOR  THE  VERY  FINE  HORSE— HARD  TRAVELLING 
—THE  UNINVITED  GUEST  AND  THE  PATRIARCHAL  COLT— A 
BEGGAR  ON  HORSEBACK— A  CATASTROPHE— EXIT  OP  THE  MERRY 
VAGABOND. 

As  Captain  Bonneville  and  his  men  were  encamped  one 
evening  among  the  hills  near  Snake  River,  seated  before  their 
fire,  enjoying  a  hearty  supper,  they  were  suddenly  surprised 
by  the  visit  of  an  uninvited  guest.  He  was  a  ragged,  half- 
naked  Indian  hunter,  armed  with  bow  and  arrows,  and  had 
the  carcass  of  a  fine  buck  thrown  across  his  shoulder.  Ad- 
vancing with  an  alert  step,  and  free  and  easy  air,  he  threw  the 
buck  on  the  ground,  and,  without  waiting  for  an  invitation, 
seated  himself  at  their  mess,  helped  himself  without  ceremony; 
and  chatted  to  the  right  and  left  in  the  liveliest  and  most  un- 
embarrassed manner.  No  adroit  and  veteran  dinner  hunter  of 
a  metropoUs  could  have  acquitted  himself  more  knowingly. 
The  travellers  were  at  first  completely  taken  by  surprise,  and 
could  not  but  admire  the  facility  with  which  this  ragged  cosmop- 
olite made  himself  at  home  among  them.  While  they  stared 
he  went  on,  making  the  most  of  the  good  cheer  upon  which  he 
had  so  fortunntcly  alighted;  and  was  soon  elbow  deep  in  "pot 
luck"  and  greased  from  the  tip  of  his  nose  to  the  back  of  his 
ears. 

As  the  company  recovered  from  their  surprise,  they  began 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


217 


to  feel  annoyed  at  this  intrusion.  Their  uninvited  guest,  un- 
like the  generality  of  his  tribe,  was  somewhat  dirty  as  well  as 
ragged  and  they  had  no  relish  for  such  a  messmate.  Heaping 
up,  therefore,  an  abundant  portion  of  the  "  provant"  upon  a 
piece  of  bark  which  served  for  a  dish,  they  invited  him  to  con- 
fine himself  thereto,  instead  of  foraging  in  the  general  mess. 

He  comphed  with  the  most  accommodating  spirit  imagi- 
nable ;  and  went  on  eating  and  chatting,  and  laughing  and 
smearing  himself,  until  his  whole  countenance  shone  with 
grease  and  good-humor.  In  the  course  of  his  repast,  his  at- 
tention was  caught  by  the  figure  of  the  gastronome,  who,  as 
usual,  was  gorging  himself  in  dogged  silence.  A  droll  cut  of 
the  eye  showed  either  that  he  knew  him  of  old,  or  perceived  at 
once  his  characteristics.  He  immediately  made  him  the  butt 
of  his  pleasantries ;  and  cracked  off  two  or  three  good  liitb, 
thfit  caused  the  sluggish  dolt  to  prick  up  his  ears,  and  delighted 
all  the  company.  From  this  time,  the  uninvited  guest  was 
taken  into  favor;  his  jokes  began  to  be  relished ;  his  careless, 
free  and  easy  air,  to  be  considered  singularly  amusing ;  and  in 
the  end,  he  was  pronounced  by  the  travellers  one  of  the  mer- 
riest companions  and  most  entertaining  vagabonds  they  had 
met  with  in  the  wilderness. 

Supper  being  over,  the  redoubtable  Shee-wee-she-ouaitcr,  for 
such  was  the  simple  name  by  which  he  announced  himself,  de- 
clared his  intention  of  keeping  company  with  the  party  for  a 
day  or  two,  if  they  had  no  objection ;  and  by  way  of  backing 
his  self-invitation,  presented  the  carcass  of  the  buck  ,jLa  an 
earnest  of  his  hunting  abihties.  By  this  time  he  had  so  com- 
pletely effaced  the  unfavorable  impression  made  by  his  first 
appearance,  that  he  was  made  welcome  to  the  camp,  and  the 
Nez  Perce  guide  undertook  to  give  him  lodging  for  the  night. 
The  next  morning,  at  break  of  day  he  borrowed  a  gun,  and 
was  off  among  the  hills,  nor  was  anything  more  seen  of  him 
until  a  few  minutes  after  the  party  had  encamped  for  the 
evening,  when  he  again  made  his  appearance,  in  his  usual 
frank,  careless  manner,  and  threw  down  the  carcass  of  another 
noble  deer,  which  he  had  borne  on  his  back  for  a  considerable 
distance. 

This  evening  he  was  the  life  of  the  party,  and  his  open  com- 
municative disposition,  free  from  all  lisguise,  soon  put  thorn 
in  possession  of  his  history.  He  had  been  a  kind  of  pr(jdigal 
son  in  his  native  village ;  living  a  loose,  heedless  life,  and  dis- 
regarding the  precepts  and  imperative  commands  of  the  chiefs. 


i   ( 


;  \  € 


218 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


He  had,  in  consequence,  been  expelled  from  the  village,  but,  in 
nowise  disheartened  at  this  banishment  had  betaken  himself 
to  the  society  of  the  border  Indians,  and  had  led  a  careloLS, 
haphazard,  vagabond  life,  perfectly  consonant  to  his  humors ; 
heedless  of  the  future,  so  long  as  he  had  wherewithal  for  the 
present;  and  fearing  no  lack  of  food,  so  long  as  he  had  the  im- 
plements of  the  chase,  and  a  fair  hunting  gi'ound. 

Finding  him  very  expert  as  a  hunter,  and  being  pleased  with 
his  eccentricities  and  his  strange  and  merry  humor.  Captain 
Bonneville  fitted  him  out  handsomely  as  the  Nimrod  of  the 
party,  who  all  soon  became  quite  attached  to  him.  One  of  the 
earliest  and  most  signal  services  he  performed,  was  to  exorcise 
the  insatiate  kill-crop  that  hitherto  oppressed  the  party.  In 
fact,  the  doltish  Nez  Perce,  who  had  seemed  so  perfectly  insen- 
sible to  rough  treatment  of  every  kind,  by  which  the  travellers 
had  endeavored  to  elbow  him  out  of  tlieir  society,  could  not 
withstand  the  good-humored  bantering,  and  occasionally  sharp 
wit  of  She-wee-she.  He  evidently  quailed  under  his  jokes,  and 
sat  blinking  like  an  owl  in  daylight,  when  pestered  by  the 
flouts  and  peckings  of  mischievous  birds.  At  length  his  place 
was  found  vacant  at  meal-time :  no  one  knew  when  he  went 
off,  or  whither  he  had  gone,  but  he  was  seen  no  more,  and  the 
vast  surplus  that  remained  when  the  repast  was  over,  shoAved 
what  a  mighty  gormandizer  had  departed. 

Eelieved  from  this  incubus,  the  little  party  now  went  on 
cheerily.  She-wee-sho  kept  them  in  fun  as  well  as  food.  His 
hunting  was  always  successful;  he  was  ever  ready  to  render 
ony  assistance  in  the  camp  or  on  the  march ;  while  his  jokes, 
his  antics,  and  the  very  cut  of  his  countenance,  so  fuU  of 
whim  and  comicality,  kept  every  one  in  good-humor. 

In  this  way  they  journeyed  on  until  they  arrived  on  the 
banks  of  the  Immahah,  and  encamped  near  to  the  Nez  Perce 
lodges.  Here  She- wee-she  took  a  sudden  notion  to  visit  his 
people,  and  show  off  the  state  of  worldly  prosperity  to  which 
he  had  so  suddenly  attained.  He  accordingly  departed  in  the 
morning,  arrayed  in  hunter's  style,  and  well  appointed  with 
everything  befitting  his  vocation.  The  buoyancy  of  his  gait, 
the  elasticity  of  his  step,  and  the  hilarity  of  his  coimtenance, 
showed  that  he  anticipated,  with  chuckling  satisfaction,  the 
surprise  he  was  about  to  give  those  who  had  ejected  him  from 
their  society  in  rags.  But  what  a  change  was  there  in  his 
whole  appearance  when  ho  rejoined  the  party  in  the  evening  1 
He  came  skulking  into  camp  like  a  beaten  cui',  with  his  tail 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE.         219 


between  his  legs.  All  his  finery  was  gone ;  he  was  naked  as 
when  he  was  born,  with  the  exception  of  a  scanty  flap  that 
answered  the  purpose  of  a  fig  leaf.  His  fellow-travellere  at 
first  did  not  know  him,  but  supposed  it  to  be  some  vagrant 
Root  Digger  sneaking  into  the  camp ;  but  when  they  recognized 
in  this  forlorn  object  their  prime  wag,  She- wee-she,  whom  they 
had  seen  depart  in  tho  morning  in  such  high  glee  and  high 
feather,  they  could  not  contain  their  merriment,  but  hailed  him 
with  loud  and  repeated  peals  of  laughter. 

She-wee-she  was  not  of  a  spirit  to  be  easily  cast  down ;  he 
soon  joined  in  the  merriment  as  heartily  as  any  one,  and 
seemed  to  consider  his  revei*se  of  fortune  an  excellent  joke. 
Captain  Bonneville,  however,  thought  proper  to  check  his 
good-humor,  and  demanded,  with  some  degree  of  sternness, 
the  cause  of  his  altered  condition.  He  replied  in  the  most 
natural  and  self-complacent  style  imaginable,  "  that  he  had 
been  among  his  cousins,  who  were  very  poor ;  they  had  been 
delighted  to  see  him ;  still  more  delighted  with  his  good  for- 
tune ;  they  had  taken  him  to  their  arms ;  admired  his  equip- 
ments; one  had  begged  for  this;  another  for  that" — in  fine, 
what  with  the  poor  devil's  inherent  heedlessness  and  the  real 
generosity  of  his  disposition,  his  needy  cousins  had  succeeded 
in  stripping  him  of  all  his  clothes  and  accoutrements,  except- 
ing the  fig  leaf  with  which  he  had  returned  to  camp. 

Seeing  his  total  want  of  care  and  forethought.  Captain  Bonne- 
ville determined  to  let  him  suffer  a  little,  in  hopes  it  might 
prove  a  salutary  lesson ;  and,  at  any  rate,  to  make  him  no  more 
presents  while  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  needy  cousins.  He 
was  left,  therefore,  to  shift  for  himself  in  his  naked  condition ; 
which,  however,  did  not  seem  to  give  him  any  concern,  or  to 
abate  one  jot  of  his  good-humor.  In  the  course  of  his  loung- 
ing about  the  camp,  however,  he  got  possession  of  a  deer-skin ; 
whereupon,  cutting  a  slit  in  the  middle,  he  thrust  his  head 
through  it,  so  that  the  two  ends  hung  down  before  and 
behind,  something  like  a  South  American  poncho,  or  the 
tabardof  a  herald.  These  ends  he  tied  together,  under  the 
armpits ;  and  thus  arrayed  presented  himself  onoe  more  Ixifore 
the  captain,  with  an  air  of  perfect  self  satisfaction,  as  though 
he  thought  it  impossible  for  any  fault  to  be  found  with  his 
toilet. 

A  little  further  journeying  broiight  the  travellers  to  the  peijty 
village  of  Nez  Percc^s,  governed  by  the  worthy  and  affectionate 
old  patriarch  who  had  made  Captain  Bonneville  the  costly 


^'1 


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1 '' 

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■    ...  '. 

■VAU 

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JT', 

i 

V' 

m 

\  ■■■' 

l|; 

!? 

;■  ■  M 

l;i 


■■:l\ 


220 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


present  of  a  very  fine  horse.  The  old  man  welcomed  them 
once  more  to  his  village  with  his  usual  cordialty,  and  his  re- 
spectable squaw  and  hopeful  son,  cherishing  grateful  aecollec- 
tions  of  the  hatchet  and  ear-bobs,  joined  in  a  chorus  of  friendly 
gratulation. 

As  the  much- vaunted  steed,  once  the  joy  and  pride  of  this 
interesting  family,  was  now  nearly  knocked  up  by  travelling, 
and  totally  inadequate  to  the  mountain  scramble  that  lay  ahead, 
Captain  Bonneville  restored  him  to  the  venerable  patriarch, 
with  renewed  acknowledgments  for  the  invaluable  gift.  Some- 
what to  his  surprise,  he  was  immediately  supplied  mth  a  fine 
two  years'  old  colt  in  his  stead,  a  substitution  which,  he  after- 
ward learned,  according  to  Indian  custom  in  such  cases,  he 
might  have  claimed  as  a  matter  of  right.  We  do  not  find  that 
any  after  claims  were  made  on  account  of  this  colt.  This  dona- 
tion may  be  regarded,  therefore,  as  a  signal  punctilio  of  Indian 
honor ;  but  it  will  be  found  that  the  animal  soon  provied  an  un- 
lucky acquisition  to  the  party. 

While  at  this  village,  the  Nez  Perce  guide  had  held  consulta- 
tions with  some  of  the  inhabitants  as  to  the  mountain  tract  the 
party  were  about  to  traverse.  He  now  began  to  wear  an  anx- 
ious aspect,  and  to  indulge  in  gloomy  forebodings.  The  snow, 
he  had  been  told,  lay  to  a  great  depth  in  the  passes  of  the 
mountains,  and  difficulties  would  increase  as  he  proceeded. 
He  begged  Captain  Bonneville,  therefore,  to  travel  very  slowly, 
so  as  to  keep  the  horses  in  strength  and  spirit  for  the  hard 
times  they  would  have  to  encounter.  The  captain  surrendered 
the  regulation  of  the  march  entirely  to  his  discretion,  and 
pushed  on  in  the  advance,  amusing  himself  with  hunting,  so  as 
generally  to  kill  a  deer  or  two  in  the  course  of  the  day,  and 
arriving,  before  the  rest  of  the  party,  at  the  spot  designated 
by  the  guide  for  the  evening's  encampment. 

In  the  meantime,  the  others  plodded  on  at  the  heels  of  the 
guide,  accompanied  by  that  merry  vagabond,  She-wee-she. 
The  primitive  garb  worn  by  this  droll  left  all  his  nether  man 
exposed  to  the  biting  blasts  of  the  mountains.  Still  his  wit 
was  never  frozen,  nor  his  sunshiny  temper  beclouded ;  and  his 
innumerable  antics  and  practical  jokes,  while  they  quickened 
the  circulation  of  his  own  blood,  kept  his  companions  in  high 
good-humor. 

So  passed  the  first  day  after  the  departure  from  the  patri- 
arch's. The  second  day  commenced  in  the  same  manner ;  the 
captain  in  the  advance,  the  rest  of  the  party  following  oi* 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


001 


slowly.  She-wee-she,  for  the  greater  part  of  the  time,  tinidgcd 
on  foot  over  the  snow,  keeping  himself  warm  by  hard  excroiso, 
and  all  kinds  of  crazy  capei*s.  In  the  height  of  his  fooleiy, 
the  patriarchal  colt,  which,  unbroken  to  the  saddle,  was  suf- 
fered to  follow  on  at  large,  hap])ened  to  come  within  his  rciicli. 
In  a  moment  he  was  on  his  back,  snapping  his  fingers,  and 
yelping  with  delight.  The  colt,  unused  to  such  a  burden,  and 
half  wild  by  nature,  fell  to  prancing  and  rearing,  and  snort 
ing,  and  plunging,  and  kicking;  and,  at  length,  sot  off  full 
speed  over  the  most  dangerous  ground.  As  the  route  led  gen- 
erally along  the  steep  and  craggy  sides  on  the  hills,  botli  h(3rse 
and  horseman  were  constantly  in  danger,  and  more  than  once 
had  a  hairbreadth  escape  from  deadly  peril.  Nothing,  how- 
ever, could  daunt  this  madcap  savage.  He  stuck  to  the  colt 
like  a  plaster,  up  ridges,  down  gullies ;  whooping  and  yelling 
with  the  wildest  glee.  Never  did  beggar  on  horseback  display 
more  headlong  horsemanship.  His  companions  followed  him 
with  their  eyes,  sometimes  laughing,  sometimes  holding  in 
their  breath  at  his  vagaries,  until  they  saw  the  colt  make  a 
sudden  plunge  or  start,  and  pitch  his  u^^ lucky  rider  headlong 
over  a  precipice.  There  was  a  general  cry  of  horror,  and  all 
hastened  to  the  spot.  They  found  the  poor  fellow  lying  among 
the  rocks  below,  sadly  bruised  and  mangled.  It  was  almost  a 
miracle  that  he  had  escaped  with  life.  Even  in  this  condition 
his  merry  spirit  was  not  entirely  quelled,  and  he  summoned 
up  a  feeble  laugh  at  the  alarm  and  anxiety  of  those  who  came 
to  his  relief.  He  was  extricated  from  his  rocky  bed,  and  a 
messenger  dispatched  to  inform  Captain  Bonneville  of  the 
accident.  The  latter  returned  with  all  speed,  and  encamped 
the  party  at  the  first  convenient  spot.  Here  the  wounded  man 
was  stretched  upon  buffalo  skins,  and  the  captain,  who  offi- 
ciated on  all  occasions  as  doctor  and  surgeon  to  the  party,  pro- 
ceeded to  examine  his  wounds.  The  principal  one  was  a  long 
and  deep  gash  in  the  thigh,  which  reached  to  the  bone.  Call- 
ing for  a  needle  and  thread,  the  captain  now  prepared  to  sew 
up  the  wound,  admonishing  the  patient  to  submit  to  the  oper- 
ation with  becoming  fortitude.  His  gayety  was  at  an  end;  he 
could  Jio  longer  summo.i  up  even  a  forced  smile ;  and,  at  the 
fii-st  puncture  of  the  needle  flinched  so  piteously  that  the  cap- 
tain was  obliged  to  pause,  and  to  order  him  a  powerful  dose  of 
alcohol.  This  somewhat  rallied  up  his  spirit  and  warmed  his 
heart ;  all  the  time  of  the  operation,  however,  he  kept  his  eyes 
riveted  on  the  wound,  with  his  teeth  set,  and  a  whimsical 


n 


II; 


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if 


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it 


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f 


>  ,-1 


22*J         ADVEyrUUES  of  captain  DONy'EVILlE. 


wincing:  of  tho  countenance  that  occasionally  gave  his  no&o 
something  of  its  usual  comic  curl. 

When  the  woimd  was  fairly  closed,  the  captain  washed  it 
w^ith  rum,  and  administered  a  second  dose  of  the  same  to  the 
patient,  who  was  tucked  in  for  the  night,  and  advised  to  com- 
pose himself  to  sleep.  He  was  restless  and  uneasy,  however ; 
r(3poatedly  expressing  his  fears  that  his  leg  would  be  so  much 
swollen  the  next  day  as  to  prevent  his  proceeding  with  tho 
party;  nor  could  he  be  quieted  until  the  captain  gave  a  de- 
cided opinion  favorable  to  his  wishes. 

Early  the  next  morning,  a  gleam  of  his  merry  humcr  re- 
turned, on  finding  that  bis  wounded  limb  retained  its  natural 
proportions.  On  attempting  to  use  it,  however,  he  found  him- 
self unable  to  stand.  He  made  several  efforts  to  coax  himself 
into  a  belief  that  he  might  still  continue  forward;  but  at 
length  shook  his  head  despondingly,  and  said  that  "  as  he  had 
but  one  leg, "  it  was  all  in  vain  to  attempt  a  passage  of  the 
mountain. 

Every  one  grieved  to  part  with  so  boon  a  companion,  and 
under  such  disastrous  circumstances.  He  was  once  more 
clothed  and  equipped,  each  one  making  him  some  parting  pres- 
ent. He  was  then  helped  on  a  horse,  which  Captain  Bonne- 
ville presented  to  him;  and  after  many  parting  expressions 
of  good- will  on  both  sides,  set  off  on  his  return  to  his  old 
haunts ;  doubtless  to  be  once  more  plucked  by  his  affectionate 
but  needy  cousins. 


CHAPTER  XXXVl. 

THE  DIFFICULT  JIOFNTAIN— A  SMOKE  AND  CONSULTATION — THE 
captain's  SPEECH— an  ICY  TURNPIKE— DANGER  OF  A  FALSE 
STEP— ARRIVAL  ON  SNAKE  RIVER— RETURN  TO  PORTNEUF— 
MEETING  OF  COMRADES. 


%   4 


Continuing  their  journey  up  the  course  of  the  Imniahah, 
the  travellers  found,  as  they  approached  the  headwaters,  the 
snow  increased  in  quantity,  so  as  to  lie  two  feet  deep.  They 
were  again  obliged,  therefore,  to  boat  down  a  path  for  their 
horses,  sometimes  travelling  on  the  icy  surface  of  the  stream. 
At  length  thoy  reached  tho  place  where  they  intended  to  scale 
the  mountains;  and,  having  broken  a  pathway  to  the  foot, 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


223 


were  agreeably  surprised  to  find  that  the  wind  had  drifted  the 
snow  from  off  the  side,  so  that  they  attained  the  summit  with 
but  Httle  diflficulty.  Here  they  encamped,  with  the  intention 
of  beating  a  track  through  the  mountains.  A  short  exiieri- 
ment,  however,  obUged  them  to  give  up  the  attempt,  the  snow 
lying  in  vast  drifts,  often  higher  than  the  hoi-scs'  heads. 

Captain  Bonneville  now  took  the  two  Indian  guides,  and  set 
out  to  reconnoitre  the  neighborhood.  Observing  a  high  peak 
which  overtopped  uhe  rest,  he  climbed  it,  and  discovered  from 
the  summit  a  pass  about  nine  miles  long,  but  so  heavily  piled 
with  snow  that  it  seemed  impracticable.  He  now  lit  a  pipe, 
and,  sitting  down  with  the  two  guides,  proceeded  to  hold  a 
consultation  after  the  Indian  mode.  For  a  long  while  they  all 
smoked  vigorously  and  in  silence,  pondering  over  the  subject 
matter  before  them.  At  length  a  discussion  commenced,  and 
the  opinion  in  which  the  two  guides  concurred  was,  that  the 
horses  could  not  possibly  cross  the  snows.  They  advised, 
therefore,  that  the  party  should  proceed  on  foot,  and  they 
should  take  the  horses  back  to  the  village,  whore  they  would 
be  well  taken  care  of  until  Captain  Bomieville  should  send  for 
them.  They  urged  this  advice  with  great  earnestness ;  declar- 
ing that  their  chief  would  be  extremely  angry,  and  treat  them 
severely  should  any  of  the  horses  of  his  good  friends,  the 
white  men,  be  lost  in  crossing  under  their  guidance ;  and  that, 
therefore,  it  was  good  they  should  not  attempt  it. 

Captain  BonneviUe  sat  smoking  his  pipe,  and  listening  to 
them  with  Indian  silence  and  gravity.  When  they  had  fin- 
ished, he  replied  to  them  in  their  own  style  of  language. 

*'  My  friends,"  said  he,  "I  have  seen  the  pass,  and  have  list- 
ened to  your  words;  you  have  little  hearts.  When  troubles 
and  dangers  lie  in  your  way,  you  turn  your  backs.  That  is 
not  the  way  with  my  nation.  When  great  obstacles  present, 
and  threaten  to  keep  them  back,  their  hearts  swell,  and  thoy 
push  forward.  They  love  to  conquer  difficulties.  But  enough 
for  the  present.  Night  is  coming  on;  let  us  return  to  our 
camp. " 

He  moved  on,  and  they  followed  in  silence.  On  reaching  the 
camp,  he  found  the  men  extremely  discouraged.  One  of  their 
number  had  been  surveying  the  neighborhood,  and  seriously 
assured  them  that  the  snow  was  at  least  a  hundred  feet  deep. 
The  captain  cheered  them  up,  and  diffused  fresh  spirit  in  thorn 
by  his  example.  Still  he  was  much  perplexed  how  to  proceed. 
About  dark  there  was  a  slight  drizzling  rain.    An  expedient 


: 


Hi 


i' 


i 


;i«! 


m 


224 


AD  VENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE, 


'i 


'-..H:    ^ 


now  suggested  itself.  This  was  to  make  two  light  sleds,  place 
the  packs  on  them,  and  drag  them  to  the  other  side  of  the 
mountain,  thus  forming  a  road  in  the  wet  snow,  which,  should 
it  afterward  freeze,  would  be  sufficiently  hard  to  bear  the 
horses.  This  plan  was  promptly  put  into  execution ;  the  sleds 
were  constmcted,  the  heavy  baggage  was  drawn  backward 
and  forward  until  the  road  was  beaten,  when  they  desisted 
from  their  fatiguing  labor.  The  night  turned  out  clear  and 
cold,  and  by  morning  tlieir  road  was  iucrusted  with  ice  f-.ufii- 
ciently  strong  for  their  i)urpose.  They  now  set  out  on  their 
icy  turnpike,  and  got  on  well  enough,  excepting  that  now  and 
then  a  horse  would  slide  out  of  the  track,  and  immediately 
sink  up  to  the  neck.  Then  came  on  toil  and  difficulty,  and 
they  would  be  obliged  to  haid  up  the  floundering  animal  with 
ropes.  One,  more  unlucky  than  the  rest,  after  repeated  falls, 
had  to  be  abandoned  in  the  snow.  Notwithstanding  these  re- 
peated delays,  they  succeeded,  before  the  sun  had  acquired 
sufficient  power  to  thaw  the  snow,  in  getting  all  the  rest  of 
their  horses  safely  to  the  other  side  of  the  mountain. 

Their  difficulties  and  dangers,  however,  were  not  yet  at  an 
end.  They  had  now  to  descend,  and  the  whole  surface  of  the 
snow  was  glazed  with  ice.  It  was  necessary,  therefore,  to 
wait  until  the  warmth  of  the  sun  should  melt  the  glassy  crust 
of  sleet,  and  give  them  a  foothold  to  the  yielding  snow.  They 
had  a  frightful  warning  of  the  danger  of  any  movement  while 
the  sleet  remained.  A  wild  young  mare,  in  her  restlessness, 
strayed  to  the  edge  of  a  declivity.  One  slip  was  fatal  to  her ; 
she  lost  her  balance,  careered  with  headlong  velocity  down 
the  slippery  side  of  the  mountain  for  more  than  two  thousand 
feet,  and  was  dashed  to  pieoi  at  the  bott(im.  When  the  trav- 
ellers afterward  sought  th""  carcass  to  cut  it  up  for  food,  they 
found  it  torn  and  mangled  in  the  most  horrible  manner. 

It  was  quite  late  in  the  evening  before  the  party  descended 
to  the  ultimate  skirts  of  the  sncw.  Here  they  planted  largo 
logs  below  them  to  prevent  their  shding  down,  and  encamped 
for  the  night.  The  next  day  they  succeeded  in  bringing  down 
tlieir  baggage  to  the  encampment ;  then  packing  all  up  regu- 
larly and  loading  their  horses,  they  once  more  set  out  briskly 
and  cheerfully,  and  in  the  course  of  the  following  day  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  to  a  grassy  region. 

Hero  their  Nez  Perce  guides  declared  that  all  the  difficulties 
of  the  mountains  were  at  an  end,  and  their  course  was  plain 
and  simple,  and  needed  no  further  guidance ;  they  asked  leave, 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


225 


therefore,  to  return  home.  This  was  readily  granted,  with 
many  thanks  and  presents  for  their  faithful  services.  They 
took  a  long  farewell  smoke  with  their  white  friends,  after 
which  they  mounted  their  horses  and  set  off,  exchanging 
many  farewells  and  kind  wishes. 

On  the  following  day,  Captain  Bonneville  completed  his 
journey  down  the  mountain,  and  encamped  on  the  borders 
of  Snake  River,  where  he  found  the  grass  in  great  abundance 
and  eight  inches  in  height.  In  this  neighborhood  he  saw  on 
the  rocky  banks  of  the  river  several  prismoids  of  basaltes,  ris- 
ing to  the  height  of  fifty  or  sixty  feet. 

Nothing  particularly  worthy  of  note  occurred  during  several 
days  as  the  party  proceeded  up  along  Snake  River  and  across 
its  tributary  streams.  After  crossing  Gun  Greek,  they  met 
with  various  signs  that  white  people  were  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  Captain  Bonneville  made  earnest  exertions  to  dis- 
cover whether  they  were  any  of  his  own  people,  that  he  might 
join  them.  He  soon  ascertained  that  they  had  been  starved 
out  of  this  tract  of  country,  and  had  betaken  themselves  to  the 
buffalo  region,  whither  he  now  shaped  his  course.  In  proceed- 
ing along  Snake  River,  he  found  small  hordes  of  Shoshonies 
lingering  upon  the  minor  streams,  and  living  upon  trout  and 
other  fish,  which  they  catch  in  great  numbers  at  this  season  in 
fish-traps.  The  greater  pfirt  of  the  tribe,  however,  had  pene- 
trated the  mountains  to  hunt  the  elk,  deer,  and  ahsahta  or 
bighorn. 

On  the  12th  of  May  Captain  Bonneville  reached  the  Portneuf 
River,  in  the  vicinity  of  which  he  had  left  the  winter  encamp- 
ment of  his  company  on  the  preceding  Christmas  day.  He 
had  then  expected  to  be  back  by  the  beginning  of  March,  but 
circumstances  had  detained  him  upward  of  two  months  be- 
yond the  time,  and  th  o  winter  encampment  must  long  ere  this 
have  been  broken  up.  Halting  on  the  banks  of  the  Portneuf, 
ho  dispatched  scouts  a  few  miles  above,  to  visit  the  old  camp- 
ing ground  and  search  for  signals  of  the  party,  or  of  their 
whereabouts,  should  they  actually  have  abandoned  the  spot. 
They  returned  without  being  able  to  ascertain  anything. 

Being  now  destitute  of  provisions,  the  travellers  found  it 
necessary  to  make  a  short  hunting  excursion  after  buffalo. 
They  made  caches,  therefore,  in  an  island  in  the  river,  in 
which  they  deposited  all  their  baggage,  and  then  set  out  on 
their  expedition.  They  were  so  fortunate  as  to  kill  a  couple 
of  fine  bulls,  and  cutting  up  tho  carcasses,  de'-*srmined  to  hus- 


] 


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i 


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HI 

jh,! 

1              i 

1; 

I 


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226 


ABVENTURJ'lS  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


-I 


band  this  stock  of  provisions  with  the  most  miserly  care,  lert 
they  should  again  be  obliged  to  venture  into  the  open  and 
dangerous  hunting  grounds.  Returning  to  their  island  on  the 
18th  of  May,  they  found  that  the  wolves  had  been  at  the 
caches,  scratched  up  the  contents,  and  scattered  them  in  every 
direction.  They  now  constructed  a  more  secure  one,  in  which 
they  deposited  their  heaviest  articles,  and  then  descended 
Snake  River  again,  and  encamped  just  above  the  American 
Falls.  Here  they  proceeded  to  fortify  themselves,  intending 
to  remain  here,  and  give  their  horses  an  opportunity  to  reci-uit 
their  strength  with  good  pasturage,  until  it  should  be  time  to 
set  out  for  the  annual  rendezvous  in  Bear  R*  ver  valley. 

On  the  first  of  June  they  descried  four  men  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river,  opposite  to  the  camp,  and,  having  attracted  their 
attention  by  a  discharge  of  rifles,  ascertained  to  their  joy  that 
they  were  some  of  their  own  people.  From  these  men  Captain 
Bonneville  learned  that  the  whole  party  which  he  had  left  in 
the  preceding  month  of  December  were  encamped  on  Blackfoot 
River,  a  tributary  of  ^Snake  River,  not  very  far  above  the  Port- 
neuf .  Thither  he  proceeded  with  all  possible  dispatch,  and  in 
a  little  while  had  the  pleasure  of  finding  himself  once  move 
Piirrounded  by  his  people,  who  greeted  his  return  among  them 
in  the  heartiest  manner;  for  his  long-protracted  absence  had 
convinced  them  that  he  and  his  tliree  companions  had  been  cut 
off  by  some  hostile  tribe. 

The  party  had  suffered  much  during  his  absence.  They  had 
been  f  Inched  by  famine  and  almost  starved,  and  had  been 
fovced  to  repair  to  the  caches  at  Salmon  River.  Here  they  fell 
in  with  the  Blackfeet  braids,  and  considered  themselves  fortu- 
nate in  being  able  to  retreat  from  the  dangerous  neighborhood 
without  sustaining  any  Ic^s. 

Being  thus  reunited,  a  general  treat  from  Captain  Bonii3ville 
to  his  men  was  a  matter  of  course.  Two  days,  therefore,  were 
piven  up  to  such  feasting  and  merrinjent  as  their  means  and 
sfituation  afforded.  What  was  wanting  in  good  cheer  was  made 
up  in  good- will ;  the  free  trappers  in  particular  distinguished 
themselves  on  the  occasion,  and  the  paturnaha  was  enjoyed 
with  a  hearty  holiday  spirit,  that  smacked  of  the  game  flavor 
of  the  wilderness. 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE.        227 


< 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

DEPART JRE  FOR  THE  RENDEZVOUS— A  WAR  PARTY  OF  BLACKFEET 
—A  MOCK  BUSTLE— SHAM  FIRES  AT  NIGHT— WARLIKE  PRECAU- 
TIONS—DANGERS OF  A  NIGHT  ATTACK- A  PANIC  AMONG  HORSES 
— CAUTIOUS  MARCH— THE  BEER  SPRINGS—A  MOCK  CAROTTSAL— 
SKIRMISHING  WITH  BUFFALOES— A  BUFFALO  ?AIT~ARP^VAL  AT 
THE  RENDEZVOUS— MEETING  OF  VARIOUS  BANDS. 

After  the  two  days  of  festive  indulgence,  Captain  Bonneville 
broke  up  the  encampment,  and  set  out  with  his  motley  crew  of 
hired  and  free  trappers,  half-breeds,  Indians,  and  squaws,  for 
the  main  rendezvous  in  Bear  River  valley.  Directing  his 
course  up  the  Blackfoot  River,  he  soon  reached  the  hills  among 
which  it  takes  its  rise.  Here,  while  on  the  march,  he  descviod 
from  the  brow  of  a  hill,  a  war  party  oi  about  sixty  Blackfeet, 
on  the  plain  immediately  below  him.  His  situation  was  peril  • 
ous;  for  the  greater  part  of  his  people  were  dispersed  in  various 
directions.  Still,  to  betray  hesitation  or  fear  would  bf;  to  dis- 
cover his  actual  weakness,  and  to  invite  attack.  He  assumed 
instantly,  therefore,  a  belligerent  tone ;  ordered  the  squaws  to 
lead  the  horses  to  a  small  grove  of  ashen  trees,  and  unload  and 
tie  them ;  and  caused  a  great  bustle  to  be  made  by  his  scanty 
handful ;  the  leaders  riding  hither  and  thither  and  vociferating 
with  all  their  might,  as  if  a  numerous  force  were  getting  under 
way  for  an  attack. 

To  keep  up  the  deception  as  to  his  force,  be  ordered,  at  night, 
a  number  of  extra  fires  to  be  made  in  his  camp  and  kept  up  a 
vigilant  watch.  His  men  were  all  directed  to  keep  themselves 
prepared  for  instant  action.  In  such  cases  the  experienced 
trapper  sleeps  in  his  clothes  with  his  rifle  beside  him,  the  shot- 
be  It  and  powder-flask  on  the  stock ;  so  that,  in  case  of  alarm, 
he  can  lay  his  hand  upon  the  wholo  of  his  equipment  at  once, 
and  start  up,  completely  armed. 

Captain  Bonneville  was  also  especially  careful  to  secure  the 
horses,  and  set  a  vigilant  guard  upon  them;  for  there  lies  tho 
groat  object  and  principal  danger  of  a  night  atti  ck.  Tli  grand 
move  of  tho  lurking  savage  is  to  cause  a  panic  among  tho 
horaes.    In  such  cases  one  horse  frightens  another,  until  all  are 


ji 


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ll 

I 

1, 

s 

'J  ,i 


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228 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


alarmed,  and  struggle  to  break  loose.  In  camps  where  there 
are  great  numbers  of  Indians,  with  their  horses,  a  night  alarm 
of  the  kind  is  tremendous.  The  running  of  the  horses  that 
have  broken  loose;  the  snorting,  stamping,  and  rearing  of 
those  which  remain  fast ;  the  howling  of  dogs ;  the  yelling  of 
Indians;  the  scampering  of  white  men,  and  red  men,  with 
their  guns ;  the  overturning  of  lodges  and  trampUng  of  fires  by 
the  horses :  the  flashes  of  the  fires,  lighting  up  forms  of  men 
and  steeds  dashing  through  the  gloom,  altogether  makci  up  one 
of  the  wildest  scenes  of  confusion  imaginable. 

In  this  way,  sometimes,  all  the  horses  of  a  camp  amounting 
to  several  hundred  will  be  frightened  off  in  a  single  night. 

The  night  passed  off  without  any  disturbance ;  but  there  was 
no  likehhood  that  a  war  party  of  Blackfeet,  once  on  the  track 
of  a  camp  w  here  there  was  a  chance  for  spoils,  would  fail  to 
hover  round  it.  The  captain,  therefore,  continued  to  ma^i  ,nA 
the  most  vigilant  precautions;  throwing  out  scouts  in  ihu 
advance,  and  on  every  rising  ground. 

In  the  course  Df  the  day  he  arrived  at  the  plain  of  white  clay, 
already  mentioned,  surrounded  by  the  mineral  springs,  called 
Beer  Springs,  by  the  trappers.*  Here  the  men  all  halted  to 
have  a  regale.  In  a  few  moments  'very  spring  had  its  jovial 
knot  of.  hard  drinkers,  witii  tin  cup  in  hand,  indulging  in  a 
mock  carouse;  quaffliig,  pledging,  toasting,  bandying  jokes, 
singing  drinking  songs  and  uttering  peals  of  laughter,  until  it 
seemed  as  if  their  imaginations  had  given  potency  to  the  bev- 
erage, and  cheated  them  into  a  fit  of  intoxication.  Indeed,  in 
the  excitement  of  the*  moment  they  were  loud  and  extravagant 
in  their  conmiendations  of  "the  mountain  tap;"  elevating  it 
above  every  beverage  produced  from  hops  or  malt.  It  was  a 
singular  and  fantastic  scene ;  suited  to  a  region  where  every- 
thing is  strange  and  peculiar.  Th.^se  groups  of  trappers  and 
hunters,  and  Indians,  with  their  wild  costumes  and  wilder 
countenances;  their  boisterous  gayety  and  reckless  air;  quaff- 


%\ 


*  In  a  manuscript  Journal  of  Mr.  Nathaniel  Q.  Wyeth,  T^e  find  the  following  men- 
tion of  this  wateriiip-place:  * 

"  'riiere  is  liere  ii  soda  spring;  or,  I  may  say,  fifty  of  them.  These  springs  throw 
out  lime,  which  deposits  and  forms  little  hillonlts  of  a  yellowish-colored  stone. 
There  is,  also,  iioro,  a  warm  sjiring,  which  throws  out  water,  with  a  jet;  which  is 
like  biUo-water  in  taste.  There  are,  also,  here,  peat  beds,  which  sometimes  take 
Are,  and  leave  behind  a  deep,  lipiit  ashes;  in  which  animals  sink  deep.  .  .  .  las* 
cended  a  mountain,  and  from  it  could  see  that  Bear  River  took  a  short  turn 
round  Sheep  Rock.  Tiiere  were,  in  the  plain,  many  hundred  mounds  of  yellowish 
Btone,  with  a  crater  on  the  top,  formed  of  the  deposits  of  the  iniprr^^natod  water." 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE.        229 

ing  and  making  merry  round  these  sparkling  fountains ;  while 
beside  them  lay  their  weapons,  ready  to  be  snatched  up  for  in- 
stant service.  Painters  are  fond  of  representing  banditti  at 
their  rude  &nd  picturesque  carousals;  but  here  were  groups 
stUl  more  ruxle  and  picturesque ;  and  it  needed  but  a  sudden 
onset  of  Blaclcf eet,  and  a  quick  transition  from  a  fantastic  revel 
to  a  furious  melee,  to  have  rendered  this  picture  of  a  trapper's 
hfe  complete. 

The  beer  frolic,  however,  passed  off  without  any  imtoward 
circumstance;  and,  unlike  most  drinking  bouts,  left  neither 
headache  nor  heartache  behind.  Captain  Bonneville  now 
directed  his  course  up  along  Bear  Eiver ;  amusing  himself  oc- 
casionally with  hunting  the  buffalo  with  which  the  country 
was  covered.  Sometimes  when  he  saw  a  huge  bull  taking  ids 
repose  in  a  prairie,  he  would  steal  along  a  ravine,  until  close 
upon  him;  then  rouse  him  from  his  meditations  with  a  pebble, 
and  take  a  shot  at  him  as  he  started  up.  Such  is  the  quick- 
ness with  which  this  animal  springs  upon  his  legs,  that  it  is 
not  easy  to  discover  the  muscular  process  by  which  it  is 
effected.  The  horse  rises  first  upon  his  forelegs,  and  the 
domestic  cow  upon  her  hinder  limbs,  but  the  buffalo  bouuds 
at  once  from  a  couchant  to  an  erect  position  with  a  celerity 
that  baffles  the  eye. '  Though  from  his  bulk  and  rolling  gait 
he  does  not  appear  to  run  with  much  svvriftness;  yet  it  takes  a 
stanch  horse  to  overtake  him,  when  at  full  speed  on  level 
ground;  and  a  buffalo  cow  is  still  fleeter  in  her  motion. 

Among  the  Indians  and  half-breeds  of  the  party  were  several 
admirable  horsemen  and  bold  hunters,  who  amused  them- 
selves with  a  grotesque  kind  of  buffalo  bait.  Whenever  they 
found  a  huge  bull  in  the  plains,  they  prepared  for  their  teas- 
ing and  barbarous  sport.  Surrounding  him  on  horseback, 
they  would  discharge  their  arrows  at  him  in  quick  succession, 
goading  him  to  make  an  attack;  which,  with  a  dexterous 
movement  of  the  horse,  they  would  easily  avoid.  In  this  way 
they  hovered  round  him,  feathering  him  with  arrows,  as  he 
roared  and  plunged  about,  until  ho  was  bristled  all  over  like  a 
porcupine.  When  they  perceived  in  him  signs  of  exhaustion, 
and  he  could  no  longer  be  provoked  to  make  battle,  they  would 
dismount  from  their  horses,  approach  him  in  the  rear,  and 
seizing  him  by  the  tail,  jerk  him  from  side  to  side,  and  drag 
him  backward;  until  the  frantic  animal,  gathering  fresh 
strength  from  fury,  would  break  from  thorn,  and  rush,  with 
flaahing  eyes  and  a  hoarse  bellowing,  upon  any  enemy  in 


"a  ii 


I  '; 


•11 


I 


230 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


sight;  but  in  a  little  while,  his  transient  excitement  at  an  end, 
would  pitch  headlong  on  the  ground  and  expire.  The  arrows 
were  then  plucked  forth,  the  tongue  cut  out  and  preserved  as 
a  dainty,  and  the  carcass  left  a  banquet  for  the  wolves. 

Pursuing  his  course  up  Bear  River,  Captain  Bonneville  ar- 
rived, on  the  13th  of  June,  at  the  Little  Snake  Lake ;  where  he 
encamped  for  four  or  five  days,  that  he  might  examine  its 
shores  and  outlets.  The  latter  he  found  extremely  muddy, 
and  so  surrounded  by  swamps  and  quagmires  that  he  was 
obliged  to  construct  canoes  of  rushes  with  which  to  explore 
them.  The  mouths  of  all  the  streams  which  fall  into  this  lake 
from  the  weet  are  marshy  and  inconsiderable ;  but  on  the  east 
side  there  it  \  beautiful  beach,  broken  occasionally  by  high 
and  isolated  b^-  'vhich  advance  upon  the  lake,  and  heighten 
the  character  ot  e  scenery.  The  water  is  very  shallow,  but 
abounds  with  trout,  and  other  small  fish. 

Having  finished  his  survey  of  the  lake,  Captain  Bonneville 
proceeded  on  his  journey,  until  on  the  banks  of  the  Bear  River, 
some  distance  higher  up,  he  came  upon  the  party  which  he 
had  detached  a  year  before,  to  circumambulate  the  Great  Salt 
Lake,  and  ascertain  its  extent,  and  the  nature  of  its  shores. 
They  had  been  encamped  here  about  twenty  days ;  and  were 
greatly  rejoiced  at  meeting  once  more  with  their  comrades 
from  whom  they  had  so  long  been  separated.  The  first  in- 
quiry of  Captain  Bonneville  was  about  the  result  of  their 
journey,  and  the  information  they  had  procured  as  to  the 
Great  Salt  Lake,  the  object  of  his  intense  curiosity  and  am- 
bition. The  substance  of  their  report  wiU  be  found  in  the  fol- 
lowing chapter. 


ADVE2iTU]iES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


231 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 


PLAN  OF  THE  SALT  LAKE  EXPEDITION— GREAT  SANDY  DESERTS — 
SUFFERINGS  FROM  THIRST— OGDEN'S  RIVER— TRAILS  AND  SMOKE 
OF  LURKING  SAVAGES— THEFTS  AT  NIGHT— A  TRAPPER'S  RE- 
VENGE—ALARMS OF  A  GUILTY  CONSCIENCE— A  MURDEROUS 
VICTORY— CALIFORNIAN  MOUNTAINS— PLAINS  ALONG  THE  PACI- 
FIC— ARRIVAL  AT  MONTEREY— ACCOUNT  OF  THE  PLACE  AND 
NEIGHBORHOOD— LOWER  CALIFORNIA — ITS  EXTENT — THE  PEN- 
INSULA —  SOIL  —  CLIMATE  —  PRODUCTION  —  ITS  SETTLEMENT  BY 
THE  JESUITS— THEIR  SWAY  OVER  THE  INDIANS— THEIR  EX- 
PULSION—  RUINS  OF  A  MISSIONARY  ESTABLISHMENT  —  SUBUMB 
SCENERY— UPPER  CALIFORNIA— MISSIONS— THEIR  POWER  AND 
POLICY— RESOURCES  OP  THE  COUNTRY— DESIGNS  OF  FOREIGN 
NATIONS. 


'  i| 


It  was  on  the  24th  of  July,  in  the  preceding  year  (1833),  that 
the  brigade  of  forty  men  set  out  from  Green  River  valley,  to 
explore  the  Great  Salt  Lake.  They  were  to  make  the  complete 
circuit  of  it,  trapping  on  all  the  streams  which  should  fall  in 
their  way,  and  to  keep  journals  and  make  charts,  calculated 
to  impart  a  knowledge  of  the  lake  and  the  surrounding  coun- 
try. All  the  resources  of  Captain  Bonneville  had  been  tasked 
to  fit  out  this  favorite  expedition.  The  country  lying  to  the 
southwest  of  the  mountains,  and  ranging  down  to  California, 
was  as  yet  almost  unknown ;  being  out  of  the  buffalo  range,  it 
was  untraversed  by  the  trapper,  who  preferred  those  parts  of 
the  wildeiness  where  the  roaming  herds  of  that  species  of  ani- 
mal gave  him  comparatively  an  abundant  and  luxurious  life. 
Still  it  was  said  that  the  deer,  the  ellc,  and  the  bighorn  were  to 
bo  found  there,  so  that  with  a  little  diligence  and  economy, 
there  was  no  danger  of  lacking  food.  As  a  precaution,  how- 
ever, the  party  halted  on  Bear  River  and  hunted  for  a  few 
days,  until  they  had  laid  in  a  supply  of  dried  buffalo  meat  and 
venison;  they  then  passed  by  the  head-waters  of  the  Cassie 
River,  and  soon  found  themselves  launched  on  p  '  immense 
sandy  desert.  Southwardly,  on  their  left,  tlioy  beheld  the 
Great  Salt  Lake  spread  out  like  a  soa,  but  they  found  no 
stream  running  into  it    A  desert  extended  around  them,  ancj 


932 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


stretched  to  the  southwest  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  rival> 
ling  the  deserts  of  Asia  tiiid  Africa  in  sterihty.  There  was 
neither  tree,  nor  herbage,  nor  spring,  nor  pool,  nor  running 
stream — nothing  but  parched  wastes  of  sand,  where  horse  and 
rider  were  in  danger  of  perishing. 

Their  sufferings,  at  length,  became  so  great  that  they  aban- 
dOxiCd  their  intended  course,  and  made  toward  a  range  of 
snowy  mountains  brightening  in  the  north,  m- here  they  hoped 
to  find  water.  After  a  time,  they  came  upon  a  small  stream 
leading  directly  toward  these  mountains.  Having  quenched 
their  burning  thirst,  and  refreshed  themselves  and  their  weary 
horses  for  a  time,  they  kept  along  this  stream,  which  grad- 
ually increased  in  size,  being  fed  by  numerous  brooks.  After 
approaching  the  mountains,  it  took  a  sweep  toward  the  south- 
west, and  the  travellers  still  kept  along  it,  trapping  beaver  as 
they  went,  on  the  flesh  of  which  they  subsisted  for  the  present, 
husbanding  their  dried  meat  for  future  necessities. 
The  stream  on  which  they  had  thus  fallen  is  called  by 
I  some,  Mary  Eiver,  but  is  more  generally  known  as  Ogden's 
.  River,  from  Mr.  Peter  Ogden,  an  enterprising  and  intrepid 
1  leader  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  who  first  explored  it. 
The  wild  and  half  desert  region  through  which  the  travel- 
lers were  passing  is  wandered  over  by  hordes  of  Shoshokoes, 
or  Root  Diggers,  the  forlorn  branch  of  the  Snake  tribe.  They 
are  a  shy  people,  prone  to  keep  aloof  from  the  strangcv.  The 
travellers  frequently  met  with  their  trails  and  saw  the  smoke 
of  their  fires  rising  in  various  parts  of  the  vast  landscape, 
so  that  they  knew  there  were  groat  numbers  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, but  scarcely  ever  were  any  of  them  to  be  met  with. 

After  a  time,  they  began  to  have  vexatious  proofs  that,  if 
the  Shoshokoes  were  quiet  by  day,  they  were  busy  at  night. 
The  camp  was  dogged  by  these  eavesdroppers ;  scarce  a  morn- 
ing but  various  articles  were  missing,  yet  nothing  could  be 
seen  of  the  marauders.  What  particularly  exasperated  the 
hunters,  was  to  have  their  traps  stolen  from  the  streams. 
One  morning  a  trapper  of  a  violent  and  savage  character, 
discovering  that  his  traps  had  been  carried  off  in  the  night, 
took  a  horrid  oath  to  kill  the  first  Indian  he  should  meet, 
innocent  or  guilty.  As  he  was  returning  with  his  comrades 
to  camp,  he  beheld  two  unfortunate  Diggers,  seated  on  the 
river  bank,  fishing.  Advancing  uponthem,  he  levelled  his  rifle, 
shot  one  upon  the  spot,  and  flung  his  bleeding  body  into  the 
stream.    The  other  Indian  fled,  and  was  suffered  to  escape. 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE.        233 

Such  is  the  indifference  with  which  acts  of  violence  are  re^ 
garded  in  the  wildemcss,  and  such  the  immunity  an  armed 
ruffian  enjoys  beyond  the  barriers  of  the  laws,  that  the  only 
punishment  this  desperado  met  with,  was  a  rebuke  from 
the  leader  of  the  party. 

The  trappers  now  left  the  scene  of  this  infamous  tragedy,  and 
kept  on  westward  down  the  course  of  the  river,  which  wound 
along  with  a  range  of  mountains  on  the  right  hand  and  a  sandy 
but  somewhat  fertile  plain  on  the  left.  As  they  proceeded, 
they  beheld  columns  of  smoke  rising,  as  before,  in  various  di- 
rections, which  their  guilty  consciences  now  converted  into 
alarm  signals,  to  arouse  the  country  and  collect  the  scattered 
bands  for  vengeance. 

After  a  time  the  natives  began  to  make  their  appearance, 
and  sometimes  in  considerable  numbers,  but  always  pacific; 
the  trappers,  however,  suspected  them  of  deep4aid  plans  to 
draw  them  into  ambuscades ;  to  crowd  into  and  get  possession 
of  their  camp,  and  various  other  crafty  and  daring  conspiracies 
which,  it  is  probable,  never  entered  into  the  heads  of  the  poor 
savages.  In  fact,  they  are  a  simple,  timid,  inoffensive  race, 
unpractised  in  warfare,  and  scarce  provided  with  any  weapons, 
excepting  for  the  chase.  Their  lives  are  passed  in  the  gi*eat 
sand  plains  and  along  the  adjacent  rivers;  they  subsist  some- 
times on  fish,  at  other  times  on  roots  and  the  seeds  of  a  plant 
called  the  cat's-tail.  They  are  of  the  same  kind  of  people  that 
Captain  Bonneville  found  upon  Snake  River,  and  whom  he 
found  so  mild  and  inoffensive. 

The  trappers,  however,  had  persuaded  themselves  that  they 
were  making  their  way  through  a  hostile  country,  and  that 
implacable  foes  hung  round  their  camp  or  beset  their  path, 
watching  for  an  opportunity  to  surprise  them.  At  length  nne 
day  they  came  to  the  banks  of  a  stream  emptying  into  Ogden's 
River,  which  they  were  obliged  to  ford.  Here  a  great  number 
of  Shoshokoes  were  posted  on  the  opposite  bank.  Persuaded 
they  were  there  with  hostile  intent,  they  advanced  upon  them, 
levelled  their  rifles,  and  killed  twenty-five  of  them  on  the  spot. 
The  rest  fled  to  a  short  distance,  then  halted  and  turned  about 
howhng  and  whining  like  wolves,  and  uttering  the  most  pite- 
ous wailings.  The  trappers  chased  them  in  every  direction ; 
the  poor  wretches  made  no  deionce,  but  fled  with  terror; 
neither  does  it  appear  from  the  accounts  of  the  boasted  victors, 
that  a  weapon  had  bceri  wielded  or  a  weapon  launched  by  the 
Indians  throughout  tli'j  urfair.    We  feel  perfectly  convinced 


■"■  ■■n 


I 


111 


fjl' 


234        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


'  'h 


1  \ 


1    't4 


that  the  poor  savages  had  no  hostile  intention,  but  had  merely- 
gathered  together  through  motives  of  curiosity,  as  others  of 
their  tribe  had  done  when  Captain  Bonneville  and  his  compan- 
ions passed  along  Snake  River. 

The  trappers  continued  down  Ogden's  River,  until  they  as- 
certained that  it  lost  itself  in  a  great  swampy  lake,  to  which 
there  was  no  apparent  discharge.  They  then  struck  directly 
westward,  across  the  great  chain  of  Californian  mountains  in- 
tervening between  these  interior  plains  and  the  shores  of  the 
Pacific. 

For  three  and  twenty  days  they  were  entangled  among  these 
mountains,  the  peaks  and  ridges  of  which  are  in  many  places 
covered  with  perpetual  snow.  Their  passes  and  defiles  present 
the  wildest  scenery,  partaking  of  the  sublime  rather  than  the 
beautiful,  and  abounding  with  frightful  precipices.  The  suffer- 
ings of  the  travellers  among  these  savage  mountains  were  ex- 
treme; for  a  part  of  the  time  they  were  nearly  starved;  at 
length  they  made  their  way  through  them,  and  came  down 
upon  the  plains  of  New  California,  a  fertile  region  extending 
along  the  coast,  W7.th  magnificent  forests,  verdant  savannas, 
and  prairies  that  looked  like  stately  parks.  Here  they  found 
deer  and  other  game  in  abundance,  and  indemnified  themselves 
for  past  famine.  They  now  turned  toward  the  south,  and 
passing  numerous  small  bands  of  natives,  posted  upon  various 
streams,  arrived  at  the  Spanish  village  and  post  of  Monterey. 

This  is  a  small  place,  containing  about  two  hundred  houses, 
situated  in  latitude  37^  north.  It  has  a  capacious  bay,  with  in- 
different anchorage.  The  surrounding  country  is  extremely 
fertile,  especially  in  the  valleys ;  the  soil  is  richer  the  further 
you  penetrate  into  the  interior,  and  the  climate  is  described,  as 
a  perpetual  spring.  Indeed,  all  California,  extending  along  the 
Pacific  Ocean  from  latitude  19°  30'  to  42°  north,  is  represented 
as  one  of  the  most  fertile  and  beautiful  regions  in  North 
America. 

Lower  California,  in  length  about  seven  hundred  miles,  forms 
a  great  peninsula,  which  crosses  the  tropics  and  terminates  in 
the  torrid  zone.  It  is  separated  from  the  mainland  by  the  Gulf 
of  California,  sometimes  called  the  Vermilion  Sea ;  into  this  gulf 
empties  the  Colorado  of  the  West,  the  Seeds-kc-dee,  or  Green 
River,  as  it  is  also  sometimes  called.  The  peninsula  is  traversed 
by  stern  and  barren  mountrins,  and  has  many  sandy  plains, 
where  the  only  sign  of  vegetation  is  the  cylindrical  cactus 
growing  among  the  clefts  of  the  rocks.    Wherever  there  is 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


235 


water,  however,  and  vegetable  mould,  the  ardent  nature  of  the 
climate  quickens  everything  into  astonishing  fertility.  There 
are  valleys  luxuriant  with  the  rich  and  beautiful  productions 
of  the  tropics.  There  the  sugar-cane  and  indigo  plant  attain  a 
perfection  unequalled  in  any  other  part  of  North  America. 
There  flourish  the  ohve,  the  fig,  the  date,  the  orange,  the  cit- 
ron, the  pomegranate,  and  other  fruits  belonging  to  the  volup- 
tuous climates  of  the  south ;  with  grapes  in  abundance,  that 
yield  a  generous  wine.  In  the  interior  are  salt  plains ;  silver 
mines  and  scanty  veins  of  gold  are  said,  hkewise,  to  exist; 
and  pearls  of  a  beautiful  water  are  to  be  fished  upon  the  coast. 

The  peninsula  of  California  was  settled  in  1698,  by  the 
Jesuits,  who,  certainly,  as  far  as  the  natives  were  concerned, 
have  generally  proved  the  most  beneficent  of  colonists.  In  the 
present  instance,  they  gained  and  maintained  a  footing  in  the 
country  without  the  aid  of  military  force,  but  solely  by  reli- 
gious influence.  They  formed  a  treaty,  and  entered  into  the 
most  amicable  relations  with  the  natives,  then  numbering  from 
twonty-flve  to  thirty  thousand  souls,  and  gained  a  hold  upon 
their  affections,  and  a  control  over  their  minds,  that  effected 
a  complete  change  in  their  condition.  They  built  eleven  mis- 
sionary establishments  in  the  various  valleys  of  the  peninsula, 
which  formed  rallying  places  for  the  surrounding  savages, 
where  they  gathered  together  as  sheep  into  the  fold,  and  sur- 
rendered themselves  and  their  consciences  into  the  hands  of 
these  spiritual  pastors.  Nothing,  we  are  told,  could  exceed  the 
implicit  and  affectionate  devotion  of  the  Indian  converts  to  the 
Jesuit  fathers,  and  the  Catholic  faitl'  was  disseminated  widely 
through  the  wilderness. 

The  growing  power  and  influence  of  the  Jesuits  in  the  New 
World  at  length  excited  the  jealousy  of  the  Spanish  govern- 
ment, and  they  were  banished  from  the  colonies.  The  gover- 
nor, who  arrived  in  California  to  expel  them,  and  to  take 
charge  of  the  country,  expected  to  find  a  rich  and  powerful 
fraternity,  with  immense  treasures  hoarded  in  their  missions, 
and  an  army  of  Indians  r^ady  to  defend  them.  On  the  con- 
trary, he  beheld  a  few  venerable  silver-haired  priests  coming 
humbly  forward  to  meet  him,  followed  by  a  throng  of  weeping, 
but  submissive  rfatives.  The  heart  of  the  governor,  it  is  said, 
was  so  touched  by  this  unexpected  sight  that  he  shed  tears; 
but  he  had  to  execute  his  orders.  The  Jesuits  were  accom- 
panied to  the  place  of  their  embarkation  by  their  simple  and 
affectionate  parishionei*s,  who  took  leave  of  them  with  tears 


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236 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


and  sobs.  Many  of  the  latter  abandoned  their  hereditary- 
abodes,  and  wandered  off  to  join  thoir  southern  brethren,  so 
that  but  a  remnant  remained  in  the  peninsula.  The  Franciy- 
cans  immediately  succeeded  the  Jesuits,  and  subsequently  the 
Dominicans;  but  the  latter  managed  their  affairs  ill.  But  two 
of  the  missionary  establishments  are  at  present  occupied  by 
priests ;  the  rest  are  all  in  jniins,  excepting  one,  which  remains 
a  monument  of  the  former  power  and  prosperity  of  the  order. 
This  is  a  noble  edifice,  once  the  seat  of  the  chief  of  the  resident 
Jesuits.  It  is  situated  in  a  beautiful  valley,  about  half  way 
between  the  Gulf  of  California  and  the  broad  ocean,  the  penin- 
sula being  here  about  sixty  miles  wide.  The  edifice  is  of  hewn 
stone,  one  story  high,  two  hundred  and  ten  feet  in  front,  and 
about  fifty-five  fr.dt  deep.  The  walls  are  six  feet  thick,  and 
sixteen  feet  high,  with  a  vaulted  roof  of  stone,  about  two  feet 
and  a  half  in  thickness.  It  is  now  abandoned  and  desolate ; 
the  beautiful  valley  is  without  an  inhabitant — not  a  human 
being  resides  within  thirty  miles  of  the  place ! 

In  approaching  this  deserted  mission-house  from  the  south, 
the  traveller  passes  over  the  mountain  of  San  Juan,  supposed 
to  be  the  highest  peak  in  the  Californias.  From  this  lofty 
eminence,  avast  and  magnificent  prospect  unfolds  itself;  the 
great  Gulf  of  California,  with  the  dark  blue  sea  beyond,  stud- 
ded with  islands;  and  in  another  direction,  the  immense  lava 
plain  of  San  Gabriel.  The  splendor  of  the  climate  gives  an 
Italian  effect  to  the  immense  prospect.  The  sky  is  of  a  deep 
blue  color,  and  the  sunsets  are  often  magnificent  beyond  de- 
scription. Such  is  a  slight  and  imperfect  sketch  of  this  remark- 
able peninsula. 

Upper  California  extends  from  latitude  31°  10'  to  43°  on  the 
Pacific,  and  inland,  to  the  great  chain  of  snow-capped  moun- 
tains which  divide  it  from  the  sand  plains  of  the  interior. 
There  are  about  twenty-one  missions  in  thin  province,  most  of 
which  were  established  about  fifty  years  since,  and  are  gener- 
ally under  the  care  of  the  Franciscans.  Tht  se  exert  a  protect- 
ing sway  over  about  thirty-five  thousand  Indian  converts,  who 
reside  on  the  lands  around  the  mission  houses.  Each  of  these 
house.  I  has  fifteen  miles  square  of  land  allotted  to  it,  subdivided 
into  small  lots,  proportioned  to  the  number  of  Indian  con- 
verts attached  to  the  mission.  Some  are  enclosed  with  high 
walls ;  but  in  general  they  are  open  hamlets,  composed  of  rows 
of  huts,  built  of  sunburned  bricks;  in  some  instances  white- 
washed and  roofed  with  tiles-    Many  of  them  are  far  in  the 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


*i37 


interior,  beyond  the  reach  of  all  military  protection,  and  de- 
pendent entirely  on  the  good-will  of  the  natives,  which  never 
fails  them.  They  have  made  considerable  progress  in  tcachii;^ 
the  Indians  the  useful  arts.  There  are  native  tanners,  sh<3c- 
makers,  weavers,  blacksmiths,  stonecutters,  and  other  artifi- 
cers attached  to  each  establishment.  Othere  are  taught 
husbandry,  and  the  rearing  of  cattle  and  horses;  while  the 
females  card  and  spin  wool,  weave,  and  perform  the  other 
duties  allotted  to  their  sex  in  civilized  life.  No  sociid  inter- 
course is  allowed  between  the  unmarried  of  the  opposite  sexes 
after  working  hours ;  and  at  night  they  are  locked  up  in  sepa- 
rate apartments,  and  the  keys  delivered  to  the  priests. 

The  produce  of  the  lands,  and  all  the  profits  arising  from 
sales,  are  entirely  at  the  disposal  of  the  priests ;  whatever  is 
not  required  for  the  support  of  the  missions  goes  to  augment  a 
fund  which  is  under  their  control.  Hides  and  tallow  constitute 
the  principal  riches  of  the  missions,  and,  indeed,  the  main 
commerce  of  the  country.  Grain  might  be  produced  to  an  un- 
limited extent  at  the  establishments,  were  there  a  sufficient 
market  for  it.  OUves  and  grapes  are  also  reared  at  the  mis- 
sions. 

Horses  and  homed  cattle  abound  throughout  all  this  region ; 
the  former  may  be  purchased  at  from  three  to  five  dollare,  but 
they  are  of  an  inferior  breed.  Mules,  which  are  here  of  a  largo 
size  and  of  valuable  qualities,  cost  from  seven  to  ten  dollars. 

There  are  several  excellent  ports  along  this  coast.  San 
Diego,  San  Barbara,  Monterey,  the  bay  of  San  Francisco,  and 
the  northern  port  of  Bondago ;  all  afford  anchorage  for  ships 
of  the  largest  class.  The  port  of  San  Francisco  is  too  well 
known  to  require  much  notice  in  this  place.  The  entrance 
from  the  sea  is  sixty-seven  fathoms  deep,  and  within,  whole 
navies  might  ride  with  perfect  safety.  Two  large  rivers, 
which  take  their  rise  in  mountains  two  or  three  hundred  miles 
to  the  east,  and  run  through  a  country  unsurpassed  for  soil 
and  climate,  empty  themselves  into  the  harbor.  The  country 
around  affords  admirable  timber  for  ship-building.  In  a  word, 
this  favored  port  combines  advantages  which  not  only  fit  it  for 
a  grand  naval  depot,  but  almost  render  it  capable  of  being 
made  the  dominant  military  post  of  these  seas. 

Such  is  a  feeble  outline  of  the  Californian  coast  and  country, 
the  value  of  which  is  more  and  more  attracting  the  attention 
of  naval  powers.  The  Russians  have  always  a  ship  of  war 
upon  this  station,  and  have  already  encroached  upon  the  Cali- 


■ 


i\\ 


m 


y 


If. 


238        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE, 

fomian  boundaries,  by  taking  possession  of  the  port  of  Bon- 
dago,  and  fortifying  it  with  several  guns.  Recent  surveys 
have  likewise  been  made,  both  by  the  Russians  and  the  Eng- 
lish, and  we  have  little  doubt,  that,  at  no  very  distant  day,  this 
neglected,  and,  until  recently,  almost  imknown  region,  wiU  be 
found  to  possess  sources  of  wealth  sufficient  to  sustain  a  power- 
ful and  prosperous  empire.  Its  inhabitants  themselves  are  but 
little  aware  of  its  real  riches ;  they  have  not  enterprise  suffi- 
cient to  acquaint  themselves  with  a  vast  interior  that  Ues 
almost  a  terra  incognita;  nor  have  thc^y  the  skill  and  industry 
to  cultivate  properly  the  fertile  tracts  along  the  coast ;  nor  to 
prosecute  that  foreign  commerce  which  brings  all  the  resources 
of  a  country  into  profitable  action. 


:  1 


!       H 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

GAY  LIFE  AT  MONTEREY-  MEXICAN  HORSEMEN— A  BOLD  DRAr     ^N 
—USE     OF    THE     LASSO — VAQUEROS— NOOSING    A    BEAR—  T 

BETWEEN  A  BULL  AND  A  BEAR— DEPARTURE  FROM  M0NTi!.ivEY 
— INDIAN  HORSE-STEALERS — OUTRAGES  COMMITTED  BY  THE 
TRAVELLERS— INDIGNATION  OP  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 

The  wandering  band  of  trappers  were  weU  received  at  Mon- 
terey, the  inhabitants  vtqvq  desirous  of  retaining  them  among 
them,  and  offered  extravagant  wiges  to  such  as  were  ac- 
quainted with  any  mechanic  art.  When  they  went  into  the 
country,  too,  they  were  kindly  treated  by  the  priests  at  the 
missions;  who  are  always  hospitable  to  strangers,  whatever 
may  be  their  rank  or  religion.  They  had  no  lack  of  provisions ; 
being  permitted  to  kill  as  many  as  they  pleased  of  the  vast 
herds  of  cattle  that  graze  the  country,  on  condition,  merely, 
of  rendering  the  hides  to  the  owners.  They  attended  bull- 
fights and  horse  races ;  forgot  all  the  purposes  of  their  expedi- 
tion; squandered  away,  Iroely,  the  property  that  did  not  be 
long  to  them;  and,  in  a  word,  revelled  in  a  perfect  fool's 
paradise. 

What  especially  delighted  them  was  the  equestrian  skill  of 
the  Californians.  The  vast  number  and  the  cheapness  of  the 
horses  in  this  country  makes  every  one  a  cavalier.  The  Mexi« 
cans  and  half-breeds  of  California  spend  the  greater  part  of 


in 


ADVENftfRilS  OF  VAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE.        339 

their  time  in  the  sar'.dle.  They  are  fearless  riders ;  and  their 
daring  feats  upon  unbroken  colts  and  wild  horses  astonished 
our  trappers,  though  accustomed  to  the  bold  riders  of  the 
prairie. 

A  Mexican  horseman  has  much  resemblance,  in  many  points, 
to  the  equestrians  of  Old  Spain,  and  especially  to  the  vain- 
glorious caballero  of  Andalusia.  A  Mexican  dragoon,  for 
instance,  is  represented  as  arrayed  in  a  round  blue  jacket,  with 
red  cuffs  and  collar;  blue  velvet  breeches,  unbuttoned  at  the 
knees  to  show  his  white  stockings;  bottinas  of  deer  skin;  a 
round-crowned  Andalusian  hat,  and  his  hair  cued.  On  the 
pommel  of  his  saddle  he  carries  balanced  a  long  musket,  with 
fox-skin  round  the  lock.  He  is  cased  in  a  cuirass  of  double- 
fold  deer-skin,  and  carries  a  bull's  hide  shield ;  he  is  forked  in 
a  Moorish  saddle,  high  before  and  behind ;  his  feet  are  thrust 
into  wooden  box  stirrups,  of  Moorish  fashion,  and  a  tremen* 
dous  pair  of  iron  spurs,  fastened  by  chains,  jingle  at  his  heels. 
Thus  equipped,  and  suitably  mounted,  he  considers  himself  the 
glory  of  California  and  the  terror  of  the  universe. 

The  Califomian  horsemen  seldom  ride  out  without  the  lasso ; 
that  is  to  say,  a  long  coil  of  cord,  with  a  slip  noose ;  with  which 
they -are  expert,  almost  to  a  miracle.  The  lasso,  now  almost 
entirely  confined  to  Spanish  America,  is  said  to  be  of  great 
antiquity ;  and  to  have  come  originally  from  the  East.  It  was 
used,  we  are  told,  by  a  pastoral  people  of  Persian  descent ;  of 
whom  eight  thousand  accompanied  the  army  of  Xerxes.  By 
the  Spanish  Americans  it  is  used  for  a  variety  of  purposes; 
and  among  others  for  hauling  wood.  Without  dismounting, 
they  cast  the  noose  round  a  log,  and  thus  drag  it  to  their 
houses.  The  vaqueros,  or  Indian  cattle  drivers,  have  also 
learned  the  use  of  the  lasso  from  the  Spaniards,  and  employ  it 
to  catch  the  half-wilr'  cattle  by  throwing  it  round  their  horns. 

The  lasso  is  also  of  great  use  in  furnishing  the  public  with  a 
favorite  though  barbarous  sport;  the  combat  between  a  bear 
and  a  wild  bull.  For  this  purpose,  three  or  four  horsemen 
sally  forth  to  some  wood  frequented  by  bears,  and,  depositing 
the  carcass  of  a  bullock,  hide  themselves  in  the  vicinity.  The 
bears  are  soon  attracted  by  the  bait.  As  soon  as  one,  fit  for 
their  purpose,  makes  his  appearance,  they  run  out,  nnd  with 
the  lasso,  dexterously  noose  him  by  either  leg.  After  dragging 
him  at  full  speed  until  he  is  fatigued,  they  secure  him  more 
cftectually ;  and  tying  him  on  the  carcass  of  the  bullock,  draw 
him  in  triumph  to  the  sccae  of  action.    By  this  time  he  is  ex- 


n 


::4 


!i 


» a 


I 


il 


in 


1i 


I 


".  ■',! 


im 


240 


ADVENTUliES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVTLLE. 


asperated  to  such  frenzy  that  they  are  sometimes  obhged  to 
throw  cold  water  on  him,  to  modera  te  his  fury ;  and  dangerous 
would  it  be  for  horse  and  rider  were  he,  while  in  this  paroxysm, 
to  break  his  bonds. 

A  wild  bull,  of  the  fiercest  kind,  which  has  been  caught  and 
exasperated  in  the  same  manner,  is  now  produced,  and  both 
animals  are  turned  loose  in  the  arena  of  a  small  amphitheatre. 
The  moilal  fight  begins  instantly;  and  always,  at  first,  to  tho 
disadvantage  of  Biniin;  fatigued,  as  he  is,  by  his  pi'evious 
rough  riding.  Roused,  at  length,  by  the  repeated  goring  of  the 
bull,  he  seizes  his  muzzle  with  his  sharp  claws,  and  cUnging  \o 
this  most  sensitive  part,  causes  him  to  bellow  with  rage  and 
agony.  In  his  heat  and  fury,  the  bull  lolls  out  his  tongue ;  this 
is  instantly  clutched  by  the  bear;  with  a  desperate  effort  he 
overturns  his  huge  antagonist,  and  then  dispatches  him  with- 
out difficulty. 

Beside  this  diveision,  the  travellers  were  likewise  regaled 
with  buU.  fights,  in  the  genume  style  of  Old  Spain ;  the  Cali- 
fornians  being  considered  th  ^  best  bull  fighters  in  the  Mexican 
dominions. 

After  a  considerable  sojourn  at  Monterey,  spent  in  these 
very  edifying,  but  not  very  profitable  amusements,  tho  leader 
of  this  vagabond  party  set  out  with  his  comrades  on  his  return 
journey.  Instead  of  retracing  their  steps  through  the  moun- 
tains, thoy  passed  round  their  southern  extremity,  and,  cross- 
ing a  range  of  low  hills,  found  themselves  in  the  sandy  plains 
south  of  Ogden's  River;  in  traversing  which,  they  again  suf- 
fered grievously  for  want  of  water. 

In  the  courso  of  their  journey,  they  encountered  a  party  of 
Mexicans  in  pursuit  of  a  gang  of  natives,  who  had  been  steal- 
ing horses.  The  savages  of  this  part  of  California  are  repro- 
Bcnted  as  extremely  poor,  and  armed  only  with  stonc-pointod 
aiTows;  it  being  the  wise  policy  of  the  Spaniarfis  not  to  fur- 
nish thorn  with  firearms.  As  they  find  it  difficult,  with  their 
blunt  shafts,  to  kill  the  wild  game  of  the  j\ioun tains,  they  oc- 
casionally supply  themselves  with  food,  by  entrapping  the 
Spanish  horses.  Driving  th(»m  stL^althily  into  fastnessos  and 
ravines,  flioy  slaugliter  them  without  difTlculty,  and  dry  thoir 
flosli  for  provisions.  Some  they  carry  olT,  to  trade  with  dis- 
tant tribes ;  and  in  this  way,  tho  Spanish  horses  pass  from 
hand  to  hand  among  the  Indians,  until  thoy  even  find  their 
way  across  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

The  Mexicans  are  continually  on  tho  alert,  to  intercept  thesa 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


241 


marauders ;  but  the  Indians  are  apt  to  outwit  them,  and  forco 
them  to  make  long  and  wild  expeditions  in  pursuit  of  .their 
stolen  horses. 

Two  of  the  Mexican  party  just  mentioned  joined  the  band 
of  trappers,  and  proved  themselves  worthy  companions.  In 
the  course  of  theu*  journey  through  the  country  frequented  by 
*the  poor  Eoot  Diggers,  there  seems  to  have  been  an  emulation 
between  them,  which  could  inflict  the  greatest  outrages  upon 
the  natives.  The  trappers  still  considered  them  in  the  lighn 
of  dangerous  foes  and  the  Mexicans,  very  probably,  charged 
them  with  the  sin  of  horse-stealing ;  we  have  no  other  mode  of 
accoimting  for  the  infamous  barbarities  of  which,  according  to 
their  own  story,  they  were  guilty ;  hunting  the  poor  Indians 
like  wild  beasts,  and  kiUing  them  without  mei'cy.  The  Mexi- 
cans excelled  at  this  savage  sport ;  chasing  their  unfortunate 
victims  at  full  speed;  noosing  them  round  the  neck  with 
their  lassoe3,  and  then  dragging  them  to  death !  • 

Such  are  the  scanty  details  of  this  most  disgraceful  expedi- 
tion; at  least,  such  are  all  that  Captain  Bonneville  had  the 
patience  to  collect,  for  he  was  so  deeply  grieved  by  the  failure 
of  his  plans,  and  so  indignant  at  the  atrocities  related  to  him, 
that  he  turned,  with  disgust  and  horror,  from  the  narrators. 
Had  he  exerted  a  little  of  the  Lynch  law  of  the  wilderness,  and 
hanged  those  dexterous  horsemen  in  their  own  lassoes,  it  would 
but  have  been  a  well-merited  and  salutary  act  of  retributive 
justice.  The  failure  of  this  expedition  was  a  blow  to  his  pride, 
and  a  still  greater  blow  to  his  purse.  The  Great  Salt  Lake 
still  remained  unexplored ;  at  the  same  time,  the  means  which 
had  been  furnished  so  liberally  to  fit  out  this  favorite  expedi- 
tion, had  all  been  squandered  at  Monterey ;  and  the  peltries, 
also,  which  had  been  collected  on  the  way.  He  would  have 
but  scanty  returns,  therefore,  to  make  this  year,  to  his  asso- 
elates  in  the  United  States:  and  there  was  great  dan,a;or  o* 
their  bacoming  disheartened,  and  abandoning  the  entcrpiiso 


i* 


^  i  1 

1  -■     m 


I! 


If!  Hi 


1    ■■■  . 

\       ■'■;      - 

.  '   ■       t' 

242        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

travellers'  tales— INDIAN  LURKERS— PROGNOSTICS  OF  BUCK- 
EYE—SIGXS  AND  rORTENTS— THE  MEDICINE  WOLF— AN  ALARM— 
AN  AMBUSH— THE  CAPTURED  PROV ANT— TRIUMPH  OF  BUCKEYE 
— ARRIVAL  OF  SUPPLIES — GRAND  CAROUSE— ARRANGEMENTS  FOR 
THE  YEAR— MR.  WYETH  AND  HIS  NEW-LEVIED  BAND. 

The  horror  and  indignation  felt  by  Captain  Bonneville  at 
the  excesses  of  the  Californian  adventurers  were  not  partici- 
pated by  his  men ;  on  the  contrary,  the  events  of  that  expedi- 
tion were  favorite  themes  in  the  camp.  The  heroes  of  Mon- 
terey bore  the  palm  in  all  the  gossipings  among  the  hunters. 
Their  glowing  descri|)tions  of  Spanish  bear-baits  and  bull- 
fights especially,  were  listened  to  with  intense  delight;  and 
had  another  expedition  to  California  been  proposed,  the  diffi- 
culty would  have  been  to  restrain  a  general  eagerness  to 
volunteer. 

The  captain  had  not  long  been  at  the  rendezvous  when  ho 
perceived,  by  various  signs,  that*Indians  were  lurking  in  the 
neighborhood.  It  was  evident  that  the  Blackfoot  band,  which 
he  had  seen  when  on  his  march,  had  dogged  his  party,  and 
were  intent  on  mischief.  He  endeavored  to  keep  his  camp  on 
the  alert ;  but  it  is  as  difficult  to  maintain  disciphne  among 
trappers  at  a  rendezvous  as  among  sailors  when  in  port. 

Buckeye,  the  Delaware  Indian,  was  scandalized  at  this 
heedlessness  of  the  hunters  when  an  enemy  was  at  hand,  and 
was  continually  preaching  up  caution.  He  was  a  little  prone 
to  play  the  prophet,  and  to  deal  in  signs  and  portents,  which 
occasionally  excited  the  merriment  of  his  white  comrades. 
Ho  was  a  great  dreamer,  and  believed  in  charms  and  talis- 
mans, or  medicines,  and  could  foretell  the  approach  of 
fcitrangers  by  iho  howling  or  barking  of  the  small  prairie  wolf. 
This  animal,  being  driven  by  the  larger  wolves  from  the  car- 
casses left  on  the  hunting  grounds  by  the  hunters,  follows  the 
trail  of  the  fresh  meat  carried  to  the  camp.  Here  the  smell  o^ 
the  roast  and  broiled,  mingling  with  every  breeze,  keeps  them 
hovering  about  the  neighborhood ;  scenting  every  blast,  tiu'ii- 
ing  up  their  noses  like  hungry  hounds,  and  testifying  their 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


243 


pinching  hunger  by  long  whining  howls  and  impatient  bark- 
ings. These  are  interpreted  by  the  superstitious  Indians  into 
warnings  that  strangers  are  at  hand ;  and  one  accidental  coin- 
cidence, like  the  chance  fulfilment  of  an  almanac  prediction, 
is  sufficient  to  cover  a  thousand  failiu-es.  This  little,  whining, 
feast-smelUng  animal  is,  therefore,  called  among  Indians  the 
"medicine  wolf;"  and  such  was  one  of  Buckeye's  infaUible 
oracles. 

One  morning  early,  the  soothsaying  Delaware  appeared  with 
a  gloomy  countenance.  His  mind  was  full  of  dismal  presenti- 
ments, whether  from  mysterious  dreams,  or  the  intimations  of 
the  medicine  wolf,  does  not  appear,  "  Danger,"  he  said,  "  waa 
lurking  in  their  path,  and  there  would  be  some  fighting  befor© 
eunset."  He  was  bantered  for  his  prophecy,  which  was  at- 
tributed to  his  having  supped  too  heartily,  and  been  visited  by 
bad  dreams.  In  the  course  of  the  morning  a  party  of  hunters 
set  out  in  pursuit  of  buffalo,  taking  with  them  a  mule,  to  bring 
home  the  meat  they  should  procure.  They  had  been  some 
few  houi*s  absent,  when  they  came  clattering  at  full  speed 
into  camp,  giving  the  war  cry  of  Blackf eet !  Blackf eet  1  Every 
one  seized  his  weapon,  and  ran  to  learn  the  cause  of  the  alarm. 
It  appeared  that  the  hunters,  as  they  were  returning  leisurely, 
leading  their  mule  well  laden  with  prime  pieces  of  buffalo 
meat,  passed  close  by  a  small  stream  overhung  with  trees, 
about  two  miles  from  thr  imp.  Suddenly  a  party  of  Black- 
feet,  who  lay  in  ambush  .  •:  the  thickets,  sprang  up  with  a 
fearful  yell,  and  discharged  ii  vf>lley  at  the  hunters.  The  latter 
immediately  threw  themselves  flat  on  their  hearses,  put  them 
to  their  speed,  and  never  paused  to  look  beh  ad,  until  they 
found  themselves  in  camp.  Fortunately,  they  h.ul  escaped 
without  a  wound ;  but  the  mule,  with  all  the  "pn  ant,"  liai 
fall'jn  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  This  was  a  loss,  as  weU 
as  an  insult,  not  to  be  borne.  Every  man  sprang  to  horse, 
and  with  rifle  in  hand,  galloped  off  to  punish  the  Blackfeet, 
and  rescue  the  buffalo  beef.  They  came  too  lat<^  the  maraud- 
ers were  off,  and  all  that  they  found  of  tin  mule  was  the 
dents  of  his  hoofs,  as  he  had  been  conveyed  off  at  a  roimd 
trot,  bearing  his  savory  cargo  to  the  hills,  to  furnish  the 
scampering  savages  with  a  banquet  of  roast  meat  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  white  men. 

The  party  returned  to  camp,  balked  of  their  revenge,  but 
still  more  grievouL^ly  balked  of  their  supper.  Buckeye,  the 
Delaware,  sat  smoking  by  his  fire,  perfectly  composed.    As 


i  iili 


\  it 


!!i 


t , 


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r' 


.    U 


r , 


ni 


■^r 


244        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 

tho  hunters  related  the  particulars  of  the  attack,  he  listened 
in  silence,  with  uni*uffled  countenance,  then  pointing  to  the 
west,  "the  sun  has  not  yet  set,"  said  he:  ''Buckeye  did  not 
dream  like  a  fool !" 

All  present  now  recollected  the  prediction  of  the  Indian  at 
daybreak,  and  wore  struck  with  what  appeared  to  be  its  fulfil- 
ment. They  called  to  mind,  a^so,  a  long  catalogue  of  foregone 
presentiments  and  predictions  made  ajb  various  times  by  the 
Delaw^are,  and,  in  their  superstitious  credulity,  began  to  con- 
sider him  a  veritable  seer ;  without  thinking  how  natural  it 
was  to  predict  danger,  and  how  likely  to  hare  the  prediction 
verified  in  the  pn^sent  instance,  when  various  signs  gave  evi- 
dence of  a  lurkkig  foe. 

The  various  bands  of  Captain  Bonneville's  company  had  now 
been  assembled  for  some  time  at  the  rendezvous ;  they  had  had 
their  fill  of  feasting,  and  frolicking,  and  all  the  species  of  wild 
and  often  uncouth  merry-making,  which  invariably  take  place 
on  these  occasions.  Their  horses,  as  well  as  themselves,  had 
recovered  from  past  famine  and  fatigue,  and  were  again  fit  for 
active  service;  and  an  impatience  began  to  manifest  itself 
among  the  men  once  more  to  take  the  4ield,  and  set  off  on 
some  wandering  expedition. 

At  this  juncture  M.  Cerre  arrived  at  the  rendezvous  at  the 
head  of  a  supply  party,  bringing  goods  and  equipments  from 
the  States.  This  active  leader,  it  will  be  recollected,  had  em- 
barked the  year  previously  in  skin  boats  on  the  Bighorn, 
freighted  with  the  year's  collection  of  peltries.  He  had  met 
with  misfortunes  in  the  course  of  his  voyage :  one  of  his  frail 
barks  being  upset,  and  part  of  the  furs  lost  or  damaged. 

The  arrival  of  the  supplies  gave  the  regular  finish  to  the 
annual  revel.  A  grand  outlMoak  of  wild  debauch  ensued 
among  the  mountnineei's;  d linking,  dancing,  swaggering, 
gambling,  quarrelling,  and  fighting.  Alcohol,  which,  from 
its  portable  qualities,  containing  the  greatest  quantity  of 
fiery  spirit  in  .he  smallest  compass,  is  the  only  liquor  carried 
across  the  mountains,  is  the  inflammatory  beverage  at  these 
carousals,  and  is  dealt  out  to  the  trappers  at  four  dollars  a 
pint.  When  inflamed  by  this  fiery  beverage,  they  cut  all 
kinds  of  mad  pranks  and  gambols,  and  somethnes  burn  all 
their  clothes  in  their  drunken  bravadoc  ^.  A  camp,  recovering 
from  one  of  these  riotous  revels,  presents  a  serio-comic  specta- 
cle; black  eyes,  broken  heads,  lack  lustre  visages.  Many  of 
the  trappers  liave  squandered  in  one  drunken  frolic  the  hard- 


im 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


245 


earned  wages  of  a  year;  some  have  run  in  debt,  and  must  toil 
on  to  pay  for  past  pleasure.  All  are  sated  witb  this  deep 
draught  of  pleasure,  and  eager  to  connncnce  another  trapping 
campaign;  for  hardship  and  hard  woi  'c,  spiced  with  the  stim- 
ulants of  wild  adventures,  and  topped  off  with  an  annual  fran- 
tic carousal,  is  the  lot  of  the  restless  trapper.. 

The  captain  now  made  his  arrangements  for  the  current 
year.  Cerre  and  Walker,  with  a  number  of  men  who  had 
been  to  California,  were  to  proceed  to  St.  Louis  with  the  pack- 
ages of  iurs  collected  during  the  past  year.  Another  party, 
headed  by  a  leader  named  Montero,  was  to  proceed  to  the 
Crow  country,  trap  upon  its  various  streams,  and  among  the 
Black  Hills,  and  thence  to  proceed  to  the  Arkansas,  where  he 
was  to  go  into  winter  quarters. 

The  captain  marked  out  for  himself  a  widely  different 
coui"se.  He  intended  to  make  another  expedition,  with 
twenty-three  men  to  the  lower  part  of  the  Columbia  River, 
and  to  proceed  to  the  valley  of  the  Multnomah ;  after  winter- 
ing in  those  parts,  and  establishing  a  trade  with  those  tribes, 
among  whom  he  had  sojourned  on  his  first  visit,  he  would 
return  in  the  spring,  cross  the  Rocky  Moimtains,  and  join 
Montero  and  his  party  in  the  month  of  July,  at  the  rendezvous 
of  the  Arkansaw ;  where  he  expected  to  receive  his  annual  sup- 
plies from  the  States. 

If  the  reader  will  cast  his  eye  upon  a  map,  he  may  form  an 
idea  of  the  contempt  for  distance  which  a  man  acquires  in  this 
vast  wilderness,  by  noticing  the  extent  of  country  comprised 
in  these  projected  wanderings.  Just  as  the  different  parties 
were  about  to  set  out  on  the  3d  of  Jidy,  on  their  opposite 
routes.  Captain  Bonneville  received  intelligence  that  Wyeth, 
the  indefatigable  leader  of  the  salmon-fishing  enterprise,  who 
had  parted  with  him  about  a  year  previously  on  the  banks  of 
the  Bighorn,  to  descend  that  wikl  river  in  a  bull  boat,  was  near 
at  hand,  with  a  new  levied  band  of  hunters  and  trappers,  and 
was  on  his  way  once  more  to  the  banks  of  the  Columbia. 

As  we  take  much  interest  in  the  novel  enterprise  of  this 

eastern  man,"  and  are  pleased  with  his  pushing  and  perse- 
vering spirit ;  and  as  his  movements  are  characteristic  of  life 
in  the  wilderness,  we  will,  with  the  reader's  permission,  while 
Captain  Bonneville  is  breaking  up  his  ramp  and  saddling  his 
horses,  step  back  a  year  in  time,  and  a  few  hundred  miles  in 
distance,  to  the  bank  of  the  Bighorn,  and  launch  ourselves 
with  Wyeth  in  his  bull  boat;  and  though  his  adventurous 


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246        ADVENTURED  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 

voyage  will  lake  us  many  hundreds  of  miles  further  down 
wild  and  wandering  livei-s;  yet  such  is  the  magic  power  of 
the  pen,  that  we  promise  to  bring  the  reader  safe  to  Bear 
JEliver  valley,  by  the  time  the  last  horse  is  saddled. 


C^A\^  f.R  XLI. 

A  VOYAGE  IN  A  BULL  BOAT. 

It  was  about  the  middle  of  August  (1833)  that  Mr.  Nathaniel 
J.  Wyeth,  as  the  reader  may  recollect,  launched  his  bull  boat 
at  the  foot  of  the  rapids  of  the  Bighorn,  and  departed  in  ad- 
vance of  the  parties  of  Campbell  and  Captain  Bonneville.  His 
boat  was  made  of  three  buffalo  skins,  stretched  on  a  light 
frame,  stitched  together,  and  the  seams  paid  with  elk  tallow 
and  ashes.  It  was  eighteen  feet  long,  and  about  five  feet  six 
inches  wide,  sharp  at  each  end,  with  a  round  bottom,  and  drew 
about  a  foot  and  a  half  of  water— a  depth  too  great  for  these 
upper  rivers,  which  abound  with  shallows  and  sand-bars.  The 
crew  consisted  of  two  half-breeds,  who  claimed  to  be  white 
men,  though  a  mixture  of  the  French  Creole  and  the  Shawnee 
and  Potawattomie.  They  claimed,  moreover,  to  be  thorough 
mountaineers,  and  first-rate  hunters — the  common  boast  of 
these  vagabonds  of  the  wilderness.  Besides  these,  there  was 
a  Nez  Perce  lad  of  eighteen  years  of  age,  a  kind  of  servant  of 
all  work,  whose  great  aim,  Hke  all  Indian  servants,  was  to  do 
as  little  work  as  possible;  there  was,  moreover,  a  half-breed 
boy,  of  thirteen,  named  Baptiste,  son  of  a  Hudson's  Bay  trader 
by  a  Flathead  beauty ;  who  was  travelling  with  Wyeth  to  see 
the  world  and  complete  his  education.  Add  tt)  these,  Mr.  Mil- 
ton Sublette,  avIio  went  as  passenger,  and  we  have  the  crew  of 
the  little  bull  boat  complete. 

It  certainly  was  a  slight  armament  with  which  to  run  the 
gauntlet  through  countries  swarming  with  hostile  hordes,  and 
a  slight  bark  to  navigate  these  endless  rivers,  tossing  and 
pitching  down  rapids,  running  on  snags  and  bumping  on  sand- 
bars; such,  however,  are  the  cockle-shells  with  which  these 
hardy  rovers  of  the  wilderness  will  attempt  the  wildest 
streams ;  and  it  is  surprising  what  rough  shockfj  and  thumps 
these  boats  will  endure,  and  what  vicissitudes  the,      iU  liv? 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


247 


through.  Their  duration,  however,  is  but  limited;  they  re- 
quire frequently  to  be  hauled  out  of  the  water  and  dried,  to 
prevent  the  hides  from  becoming  water-soaked;  and  they 
eventually  rot  and  go  to  pieces. 

The  course  of  the  river  was  a  little  to  the  north  of  east ;  it 
ran  about  five  miles  an  hour,  over  a  gravelly  bottom.  The 
banks  were  generally  alluvial,  and  thickly  grown  with  cotton- 
wood  trees,  intermingled  occasionally  with  ash  and  plum  trees. 
Now  and  then  Umestone  cliffs  and  promontories  advanced 
upon  the  river,  making  picturesque  headlands.  Beyond  the 
woody  borders  rose  ranges  of  naked  hUls. 

Milton  Sublette  was  the  Pelorus  of  this  adventurous  bark; 
being  somewhat  experienced  in  this  wild  kind  of  navigation. 
It  required  all  his  attention  and  skill,  however,  to  pilot  her 
clear  of  sand-bars  and  snags  of  sunken  trees.  There  was  often, 
too,  a  perplexity  of  choice,  where  the  river  branched  into 
various  channels,  among  clusters  of  islands :  and  occasionally 
the  voyagers  found  themselves  aground  and  had  to  turn  back. 

It  was  necessary,  also,  to  '^'.  p  a  wary  eye  upon  the  land, 
for  they  were  passing  through  die  heart  of  the  Crow  country, 
and  were  continually  in  reach  of  any  ambush  that  might  be 
lurking  on  shore.  The  most  formidable  foes  that  they  saw, 
however,  were  three  grizzly  bears,  quietly  promenading  along 
the  bank,  who  seemed  to  gaze  at  them  with  surprise  as  they 
glided  by.  Herds  of  buffalo,  also,  were  moving  about,  or 
lying  on  the  ground,  like  cattle  in  a  pasture;  excepting  such 
inhabitants  as  these,  a  perfect  solitude  reigned  over  the  land. 
There  was  no  sign  of  human  habitation ;  for  the  Crows,  as  we 
have  already  shown,  arc  a  wandering  people,  a  race  of  hunters 
and  warriors,  who  live  in  tents  and  on  horseback,  and  are  con- 
tinually on  the  move. 

At  night  they  landed,  hauled  up  their  boat  to  dry,  pitched 
their  tent,  and  made  a  rousing  fire.  *Then,  as  it  was  the  first 
evening  of  their  voyage,  they  indulged  in  a  regale,  relishing 
their  buffalo  beef  with  inspiring  alcohol;  after  which,  they 
slept  soundly,  without  dreaming  of  Crows  or  Blackfeet.  Early 
in  the  morning,  they  again  launched  the  boat  and  committed 
themselves  to  the  stream. 

In  this  way  they  voyaged  for  two  days  without  any  material 
occurrence,  excepting  a  severe  thunder  storm,  which  com- 
pelled them  to  put  to  shore,  and  wait  until  it  was  passed.  On 
the  third  morning  they  descried  some  persons  at  a  distance  on 
the  river  bank.    As  they  were  now,  by  calculation,  at  no  great 


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•^48        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 

distance  from  Fort  Cass,  a  trading  post  of  the  American  Fur 
Company,  they  supposed  these  might  be  some  of  its  people. 
A  nearer  approach  showed  them  to  be  Indians.  Descrying  a 
woman  apart  from  the  rest,  they  landed  and  accosted  her. 
She  informed  them  that  the  main  force  of  the  Crow  nation, 
consisting  of  five  bands,  under  their  several  chiefs,  were  but 
about  two  or  three  miles  below,  on  their  way  up  along  the 
river.  This  was  unpleasant  tidings,  but  to  retreat  was  impos- 
sible, and  the  river  afforded  no  hiding  place.  They  continued 
forward,  therefore,  trusting  that,  as  Fort  Cass  was  so  near  at 
hand,  the  Crows  might  refrain  from  any  depredations. 

Floating  down  about  two  miles  further,  they  came  in  sight 
of  the  first  band,  scattered  along  the  rivQf  bank,  all  well 
mounted;  some  armed  with  guns,  othere  with  bows  and  ar- 
rows, and  a  few  with  lances.  They  made  a  wildly  picturesque 
appearance,  managing  their  horses  with  their  accustomed  dex- 
terity and  grace.  Nothing  can  be  more  spirited  than  a  band 
of  Crow  cavaliei*s.  They  are  a  fine  race  of  men,  averaging  six 
feet  in  he?ght,  lithe  and  active,  with  hawks'  eyes  and  Eoman 
noses.  The  latter  feature  is  common  to  the  Indians  on  the 
cast  side  of  the  Eocky  Mountains ;  those  on  the  western  side 
have  generally  straight  or  flat  noses. 

Wyeth  would  fain  have  slipped  by  this  cavalcade  unnoticed ; 
but  the  river,  at  this  place,  was  not  more  than  ninety  yards 
across;  he  was  perceived,  therefore,  aiid  hailed  by  the  vaga- 
bond wari'iors,  and,  we  presume,  in  no  very  choice  language; 
for,  among  their  other  accompHshments,  the  Crows  are  famed 
for  possessing  a  Billingsgate  vocabulary  of  unrivalled  opu- 
lence, and  for  being  by  no  means  sparing  of  it  whenever  an 
occasion  offers.  Indeed,  though  Indians  are  generally  very 
lofty,  rhetorical,  and  figurative  in  their  language  at  all  great 
talks,  and  high  ceremonials,  yet,  if  trappers  and  traders  may 
be  believed,  they  are  the*  most  unsavory  vagabonds  in  their 
ordinary  colloquies ;  they  make  no  hesitation  to  call  a  spade  a 
spade;  and  when  they  orce  undertake  to  call  hard  names,  the 
famous  pot  and  kettle,  of  vituperating  memory,  are  not  to  be 
compared  with  tlicm  for  scurrility  of  epithet. 

To  <>sco.po  the  infliction  of  any  compliments  of  this  kind,  or 
cfie  launching,  pcradventuro,  of  more  dangerous  missiles, 
Wyeth  landed  with  the  best  grace  in  his  power,  and  ap- 
jiroached  the  chief  of  the  band.  It  was  Arapooish,  the  quon- 
dam friend  of  Rose  the  outlaw,  and  one  whom  we  have  al- 
I'eady  mentioned  as  being  anxious  to  promote  a  friendly  inter- 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


249 


course  between  his  tribe  and  the  white  men.  He  was  a  tall, 
stout  man,  of  good  presence,  and  received  the  voyagers  very 
graciously.  His  people,  too,  thronged  around  them,  and  were 
officiously  attentive  after  the  Crow  fashion.  One  took  a  great 
fancy  to  Baptiste  the  Flathead  boy,  and  a  still  greater  fancy 
to  a  ring  on  his  finger,  which  he  transposed  to  his  own  with 
surprising  dexterity,  and  then  disappeared  with  a  quick  step 
among  the  crowd. 

Another  was  no  less  pleased  with  the  Nez  Perce  lad,  and 
nothing  would  do  but  he  must  exchange  knives  with  him ; 
drawing  a  new  knife  out  of  the  Nez  Perce's  scabbard,  and 
putting  an  old  one  in  its  place.  Another  stepped  up  and 
replaced  this  old  knife  with  one  still  older,  and  a  third  helped 
himself  to  knife,  scabbard  and  all.  It  was  with  much  diffi- 
culty that  Wyeth  and  his  companions  extricated  themselves 
from  the  clutches  of  these  officious  Crows  before  they  were 
entirely  plucked. 

Falling  down  the  river  a  little  further,  they  came  in  sight  of 
the  second  band,  and  sheered  to  the  opposite  side,  with  the 
intention  of  passing  them.  The  Crows  wore  not  to  be  evoked. 
Some  pointed  their  guns  at  the  boat,  and  threatened  to  fire ; 
others  stripped,  plunged  into  the  stream,  and  came  swimming 
across.  Making  a  virtue  of  necessity,  Wyeth  threw  a  cord  to 
the  first  that  came  within  reach,  as  if  he  wished  to  be  drawn 
to  the  shore. 

In  this  way  he  was  overhauled  by  every  band,  and  by  the 
time  he  and  his  people  came  out  of  the  busy  hands  of  the  last, 
they  were  eased  of  most  of  their  superfluities.  Nothing,  in  all 
probability,  but  the  proximity  of  the  American  trading  post, 
kept  these  land  pirates  from  making  a  good  prize  of  the  bull 
boat  and  all  its  contents. 

These  bands  were  in  full  march,  equipped  for  war,  and 
evidently  full  of  mischief.  They  were,  in  fact,  the  very  bands 
that  overran  the  land  in  the  autumn  of  1833;  partly  robbed 
Fitzpatrick  of  his  horses  and  effects;  hunted  and  harassed 
Captain  Bonneville  and  his  people;  broke  up  their  trapping 
campaigns,  anti,  in  a  word,  drove  them  all  out  of  the  Crow 
country.  It  has  been  suspected  that  they  were  set  on  to  these 
pranks  by  some  of  the  American  Pur  Company,  anxious  to 
defeat  the  plans  of  their  rivals  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  Com- 
pany;  for  at  this  time,  their 'competition  was  at  its  height,  and 
the  trade  of  the  Crow  country  was  a  great  object  of  rivalry. 
What  makes  this  the  more  probable,  is,  that  the  Crows  io 


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250.       ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 

their  dopreda'  ion  seemed  by  no  means  bloodthirsty,  but  intent 
chiefly  on  robbing  the  parties  of  their  traps  and  horses, 
thereby  disabling  them  from  prosecuting  their  hunting. 

We  should  observe  that  this  year,  the  Rocky  Mountain 
Company  were  pushing  their  way  up  the  rivers,  and  establish- 
ing rival  poLts  near  those  of  the  American  Company;  and 
that,  at  the  very  time  of  which  we  are  speaking.  Captain  Sub- 
lette was  ascending  the  Yellowstone  with  a  keel  boat,  laden 
with  supplies ;  so  that  there  was  every  prospect  of  this  eager 
rivalship  being  carried  to  extremities. 

The  last  band  of  Crow  warriors  had  scarce  disappeared  in 
the  cloud  of  dust  they  had  raised,  when  our  voyagers  arrived 
at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  glided  into  the  current  of  the 
"S'ellowstone.  Turning  down  this  stream,  they  made  for  Fort 
Cass,  which  is  situated  on  the  right  bank,  about  three  miles 
below  the  Bighorn.  On  the  opposite  side  they  beheld  a  party 
of  thirty-one  savages,  which  they  soon  ascertained  to  be 
Blackfeet.  The  width  of  the  river  enabled  them  to  keep  at  a 
sufficient  distance,  and  they  soon  landed  at  Fort  Cass.  This 
was  a  mere  fortification  against  Indians ;  being  a  stockade  of 
about  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  square,  with  two  bastions 
at  the  extreme  corners.  M'TuUoch,  an  agent  of  the  American 
Company,  was  stationed  there  with  twenty  men ;  two  boats  of 
fifteen  tons  burden  were  lying  here ;  but  at  certain  seasons  of 
the  year  a  steamboat  can  come  up  to  the  fort. 

They  had  scarcely  arrived,  when  the  Blackfeet  warriors 
made  their  appearance  on  the  opposite  bank,  displaying  two 
American  flags  in  token  of  amity.  They  plunged  into  the 
river,  swam  across,  and  were  kindly  received  at  the  fort. 
They  were  some  of  the  very  men  who  had  been  engaged,  the 
year  previously,  in  the  battle  at  Pierre's  Hole,  and  a  fierce- 
looking  set  of  fellows  they  were;  tall  and  hawk-nosed,  and 
very  much  resembling  the  Crows.  They  professed  to  be  on  an 
amicable  errand,  to  make  peace  with  the  Crows,  and  set  off  in 
all  haste,  before  night,  to  overtake  them.  Wyeth  predicted 
that  they  would  lose  their  scalps;  for  he  had  heard  the  Crows 
denounce  vengeance  on  them,  for  having  murdered  two  of 
their  warriors  who  had  ventured  among  them  on  the  faith  of 
a  treaty  of  peace.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  this  pacific 
errand  was  all  a  pretence,  and  that  the  real  object  of  the 
Blackfeet  braves  was  to  hang  about  the  skirts  of  the  Crow 
bands,  steal  their  horses,  and  take  the  scalps  of  stragglers. 

At  Fort  Cass,  Mr.  Wyeth  disposed  of  some  packages  of 


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ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


251 


beaver,  and  a  quantity  of  buffalo  robes.  On  the  following 
morning  (August  18th),  he  once  more  launched  bis  bull  boat, 
and  proceeded  down  the  Yellowstone,  which  inchnod  in  an 
east-noithoast  direction.  The  river  had  alluvial  bottoms, 
fringed  with  great  quantities  of  the  sweet  cotton-wood,  and 
interrupted  occasionally  by  "bluffs"  of  sandstone.  The  cur- 
rent occasionally  brings  down  fragments  of  granite  and  por- 
phyry. 

In  the  course  of  the  day,  they  saw  something  moving  on  the 
bank  among  the  trees,  which  they  mistook  for  game  of  some 
kind;  and,  being  in  want  of  provisions,  pulled  toward  shore. 
They  discovered,  just  in  time,  a  party  of  Blackfeet,  lurking  in 
the  thickets,  and  sheered,  with  all  speed,  to  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river. 

•  After  a  time,  they  came  in  sight  of  a  gan;^  of  elk.  Wyeth 
was  immediately  for  pursuing  them,  rifle  in  hand,  but  saw 
evident  signs  of  dissatisfaction  in  his  half-breed  hunters ;  who 
considered  him  as  trenching  upon  their  province,  and  med- 
dling with  things  quite  above  his  capacity;  for  these  veterans 
of  the  wilderness  are  exceedingly  pragmatical,  on  points  of 
venery  and  woodcraft,  and  tenacious  of  their  superiority; 
looking  down  with  infinite  contempt  upon  all  raw  beginners. 
The  two  worthies,  therefore,  sallied  forth  themselves,  but 
after  a  time  returned  empty-handed.  They  laid  the  blame, 
however,  entirely  on  their  g«ns;  two  miserable  old  pieces 
with  flint  locks,  which,  with  all  their  picking  and  hammering, 
were  continually  apt  to  miss  fire.  These  great  boasters  of  the 
wilderness,  however,  are  very  often  exceeding  bad  shots,  and 
fortunate  it  is  for  them  when  they  have  old  flint  guns  to  bear 
the  blame. 

The  next  day  they  passed  where  a  great  herd  of  buffalo 
were  bellowing  on  a  prairie.  Again  the  Castor  and  Pollux  of 
the  wilderness  sallied  forth,  and  again  their  flint  guns  were  at 
fault,  and  missed  fire,  and  nothing  went  off  but  the  buffalo. 
Wyeth  now  found  there  was  danger  of  losing  his  dinner  if  he 
depended  upon  his  hunters;  he  took  rifle  in  hand,  therefore, 
and  went  forth  himself.  In  the  course  of  an  hour  he  returned 
laden  with  buffalo  meat,  to  the  great  mortification  of  the  two 
regular  hunters,  who  were  annoyed  at  being  eclipsed  by  a 
greenhorn. 

All  hands  now  set  to  work  to  prepare  the  midday  repast. 
A  fire  was  made  under  an  immense  cotton-wood  tree,  that 
overshadowed  a  beautiful  piece  of  meadow  land ;  rich  morsels 


i 


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^52 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


of  buffalo  hump  were  soon  roasting  before  it ;  in  a  hearty  and 
prolonged  repast,  the  two  unsuccessful  hunters  gradually- 
recovered  from  their  mortification ;  tiireatened  to  discard  their 
old  flint  guns  as  soon  as  they  should  reach  the  settlements, 
and  boasted  more  than  ever  of  the  wonderful  shots  they  had 
made,  when  they  had  guns  that  never  missed  fire. 

Having  hauled  up  their  boat  to  dry  in  the  sun,  previous  to 
makirr;  their  repast,  the  voyagers  now  set  it  once  more  afloat, 
and  proceeded  on  their  way.  They  had  constnicted  a  sail  out  of 
their  old  tent,  which  they  hoisted  whenever  the  wind  was  favor- 
able, and  thus  skimmed  along  down  the  stream.  Their  voy- 
age was  pleasant,  notwithstanding  the  perils  by  sea  and  land, 
with  which  they  were  environed.  Whenever  they  could  they 
encamped  on  islands  for  the  greater  security.  If  on  the  main- 
land, and  in  a  dangerous  neighborhood,  they  would  shift  theiiy 
camp  after  dark,  leaving  their  fire  burning,  dropping  down  the 
river  to  some  distance,  and  making  no  fire  at  their  second  en- 
campment. Sometimes  they  would  float  all  night  with  the 
current  f  one  keeping  watch  apd  steering  while  the  rest  slept : 
in  such  case,  they  would  haul  their  boat  on  shore,  at  noon  of 
the  following  day  to  dry;  for  notwithstanding  every  precau- 
tion, she  was  gradually  getting  water-soaked  and  rotten. 

There  was  something  pleasingly  solemn  and  mysterious  in 
thus  floating  down  these  wild  rivers  at  night.  The  purity  of 
the  atmosphere  in  these  elevated  regions  gave  additional  splen- 
dor to  the  stars,  and  heightened  the  magnificence  of  the  fir- 
mament. The  occasional  rush  and  laving  of  the  waters;  the 
vague  sounds  from  the  surrounding  wilderness;  the  dreary 
howl,  or  rather  whine  of  wolves  from  the  plains;  the  low 
grunting  and  bellowing  of  the  buffalo,  and  the  shrill  neighing 
of  the  elk,  struck  the  ear  with  an  effect  unknown  in  the  day- 
time. 

The  two  knowing  hunters  had  scarcely  recovered  from  one 
mortification  when  they  were  fated  to  experience  another.  As 
the  boat  was  gliding  swiftly  round  a  low  promontory,  thinly 
covered  with  trees,  one  of  them  gave  the  alarm  of  Indians. 
The  boat  was  instantly  shoved  from  shore  and  every  one 
caught  up  his  rifle.     "  Where  are  they?'^  cried  Wyeth. 

"  There -there !  riding  on  horseback  I"  cried  one  of  the 
hunters. 

"Yes;  with  white  scarfs  on!"  cried  the  other. 

Wyeth  looked  in  the  direction  they  pointed,  but  descried 
nothing  but  two  bald  eagles,  perched  on  a  low  dry  branch 


n 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


253 


beyond  the  thickets,  and  seeming,  from  the  rapid  motion  of 
the  boat,  to  be  moving  swiftly  in  an  opposite  direction.  The 
detection  of  this  blunder  in  the  two  veterans,  who  prided 
themselves  on  the  aureness  and  quickness  of  their  sight,  pro- 
duced a  hearty  laugh  at  theii'  expense,  and  put  an  end  to  their 
vauntings. 

The  Yellowstone,  above  the  confluence  of  the  Bighorn,  is  a 
clear  stream ;  its  waters  were  now  gradually  growing  turbid, 
and  assuming  the  yellow  clay  color  of  the  Missouri.  The  cur- 
rent was  about  four  mile^  an  hour,  with  occasional  rapids; 
some  of  them  dangerous,  but  the  voyagers  passed  them  all 
without  accident.  The  banks  of  the  river  were  in  many  places 
precipitous  with  strata  of  bituminous  coal. 

They  now  entered  a  region  abounding  with  buffalo — that 
ever-joumeying  animal,  which  moves  in  countless  droves  from 
point  to  point  of  the  vast  wilderness ;  traversing  plains,  pour- 
ing through  the  intricate  defiles  of  mountains,  swimming 
rivers,  ever  on  the  move,  guided  on  its  boundless  migrations 
by  some  traditionary  knowledge,  like  the  finny  tribes  of  the 
ocean,  which,  at  certain  seasons,  find  their  mysterious  paths 
across  the  deep  and  revisit  the  remotest  shores. 

These  great  migratory  herds  of  buffalo  have  their  hereditary 
paths  and  highways,  worn  deep  through  the  country,  and 
making  for  the  surest  passes  of  the  mountains,  and  the  most 
practicable  fords  of  the  rivers.  When  once  a  great  column 
is  in  full  career,  it  goes  straight  forwrard,  regardless  of  all 
obstacles;  those  in  front  being  impelled  by  the  moving  mass 
behind.  At  such  times  they  will  break  through  a  camp, 
trampling  down  everything  in  their  course. 

It  was  the  lot  of  the  voyagers,  one  night,  to  encamp  at  one 
of  these  buffalo  landing  places,  and  exactly  on  the  trail.  They 
had  not  been  long  asleep,  whe^i  they  were  awakened  by  a  great 
bel'-^twing,  and  tramping,  and  the  rush,  and  splash,  and  snort- 
ing of  animals  in  the  river.  They  had  just  time  to  ascertain 
that  a  buffalo  array  was  entering  the  river  on  the  opposite  side, 
and  making  toward  tVic  landing  place.  With  all  haste  they 
moved  their  boat  and  shif  ced  their  camp,  by  which  time  the 
head  of  the  column  had  reached  the  shore,  and  came  pressing 
up  the  bank. 

It  was  a  singular  spectacle,  by  the  uncertain  moonlight,  to 
behold  this  countless  throng  making  their  way  across  the  river, 
blowing,  and  bellowing,  and  splaslung.  Sometimes  they  pass 
in  such  dense  and  continuous  column  as  to  form  a  temporary 


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254 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


dam  across  the  river,  the  waters  of  which  rise  and  rush  ov2^ 
their  backs,  or  between  their  squadrons.  Tlie  roaring  and  rush- 
ing sound  of  one  of  these  vast  herds  crossing  a  river,  may 
sometimes  in  a  still  night  be  heard  for  miles. 

The  voyagers  now  had  game  in  profusion.  They  could  kill 
as  many  buffalo  as  they  pleased,  and,  occasionally,  were  wan- 
ton in  their  havoc;  especially  among  scattered  herds,  that 
came  swimming  near  the  boat.  On  one  occasion,  an  old  buffalo 
bull  approached  so  near  that  the  half-breeds  must  fain  try  to 
noose  him  as  they  would  a  wild  horse.  The  noose  was  success- 
fully thrown  around  his  head,  and  secured  him  by  the  horns, 
and  they  now  promised  themselves  ample  sport.  The  buffalo 
made  a  prodigious  tui'moil  in  th^  water,  bellowing,  and  blow- 
ing, and  floundering ;  and  they  all  floated  down  the  stream  to- 
gether. At  length  he  found  foothold  on  a  sandbar,  and  taking 
to  his  heels,  whirled  the  boat  after  him  like  a  whale  when  har- 
pooned ;  so  that  the  hunters  were  obliged  to  cast  off  their  rope, 
with  which  strange  head-gear  the  venerable  bull  made  off  to 
the  prairies. 

On  the  24th  of  August,  the  bull  boat  emerged,  with  its 
adventurous  crew,  into  the  broad  bosom  of  the  mighty  Mis- 
souri. Here,  about  six  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Yellow- 
stone, the  voyagers  landed  at  Fort  Union,  the  distributing  post 
of  the  American  Fur  Company  in  the  western  country.  It  was 
a  stockaded  fortress,  about  two  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
square,  pleasantly  situated  on  a  high  bank.  Here  they  were 
hospitably  entertained  by  Mr.  M'Kenzie,  the  superintendent, 
and  remained  with  him  three  days,  enjoying  the  unusual 
luxuries  of  bread,  but'^er,  milk,  and  cheese,  for  the  fort  was 
well  supplied  with  domestic  cattle,  though  it  had  no  garden. 
Tl.ie  atmosphere  of  these  elevated  regions  is  said  to  bo  too 
dry  for  the  culture  of  vegetables;  yet  the  voyagers,  in  coming 
down  the  Yellowstone,  had  met  with  plums,  gi'apcs,  cherries, 
and  currants,  and  had  observed  ash  and  elm  :rees.  Where 
these  grow  the  climate  cannot  be  incompatible  with  garden- 
ing. 

At  Fort  Union,  Wyeth  mot  with  a  melancholy  memento  of 
one  of  his  men.  This  was  a  powder-flosk,  which  a  clerk  had 
purchased  from  a  Blnckfoot  warrior.  It  bore  the  initials  of 
poor  More,  the  unfortunate  youth  murdered  tho  year  pre- 
viously, at  Jackson's  Hole,  by  the  Blackfect,  and  whoso  bones 
had  been  subscque?itly  found  by  Captain  Bonneville.  This 
flask  had  either  been  ])assed  from  hand  to  hand  of  the  tribe, 


':.ii**uu^-^^ 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


255 


or,  perhaps,  had  been  brought  to  the  fort  by  the  very  savage 
who  slew  him! 

As  the  bull  boat  was  now  nearly  worn  out,  and  altogether 
unfit  for  the  broader  and  more  turbulent  stream  of  the  Mis- 
souri, it  was  given  up,  and  a  canoe  of  cotton-wood,  about 
twenty  feet  long,  fabricated  by  the  Blackfeet,  was  purchased 
to  supply  its  place.  In  this  Wyeth  hoisted  his  sail,  and  bid- 
ding adieu  to  the  hospitable  superinteodent  of  Fort  Union, 
turned  his  prow  to  the  east,  and  set  off  down  the  Missouri. 

He  had  not  proceeded  many  hours,  before,  in  the  evening,  he 
came  to  a  large  keel  boat  at  anchor.  It  proved  to  be  the  boat 
of  Captain  WUliam  Sublette,  freighted  with  munitions  for  car- 
rying on  a  powerful  opposition  to  the  American  Fur  Company. 
The  voyagers  went  on  board,  where  they  were  treated  with 
the  hearty  hospitality  of  the  wilderness,  and  jiassed  a  social 
evening,  talking  over  past  scenes  and  adventures,  and  espec- 
ially the  memorable  fight  at  Pierre's  Hole. 

Here  Milton  Sublette  determined  to  give  up  further  voyag- 
ing in  the  canoe,  and  remain  with  his  brother;  accordingly,  in 
the  morning,  the  fellow-voyagers  took  kind  leave  of  each  other, 
and  Wyoth  continued  on  his  course.  There  was  now  no  one 
on  board  of  his  boat  that  had  ever  voyaged  on  the  Missouri ;  it 
was,  however,  all  plain  sailing  down  the  stream,  without  any 
chance  of  missing  the  way. 

All  day  the  voyagers  pulled  gently  along,  and  landed  in  the 
evening  and  supped;  then  re-embarking,  they  suffered  the 
canoe  to  float  down  with  the  current ;  taking-  turns  to  watch 
and  sleep.  The  night  was  calm  and  serene ;  the  elk  kept  up  a 
continual  whinnying  or  sqiieriling,  being  the  commencement  of 
the  season  when  they  are  in  heat.  In  the  midst  of  the  night 
the  canoe  struck  on  a  sand-bar,  and  all  hands  were  roused  by 
the  rush  and  roar  oi'  the  wild  waters,  which  broke  around  her. 
They  were  all  obliged  to  jump  overbixard,  and  work  hard  to 
get  her  off,  which  was  accoinnlished  with  much  difficulty. 

In  the  course  of  the  following  day  they  saw  three  grizzly 
boars  at  different  tiinrs  along  the  bank.  The  last  one  wjis  on 
a  point  of  land,  and  was  evidfMitly  making  for  th(?  river,  to 
swim  across.  The  two  h:vlf  brec^l  hunters  were  now  (»ager  to 
repeat  the  manoouvre  of  tlie  nooso;  promising  to  ttutrnp  Bruin, 
and  have  rare  sport  in  strangling  an(4  drowaing  him.  Tlieir 
only  fear  was,  that  he  might  tak(^  f  rigkt  and  return  to  land 
before  they  could  get  between  him  and  the  shore.  Holding 
back,  therefore,  until  he  was  fairly  committed  in  the  centre  of 


I    : ' 


■I       ! 


! 


;i   * 


256        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


u 


a 


fche  stream,  they  then  pulled  forward  with  might  and  main,  so 
as  to  cut  off  his  retreat,  and  take  him  in  the  rear.  One  of  the 
worthies  stationed  himself  in  the  how,  with  the  cord  and  slip- 
noose,  the  other,  with  the  Nez  Perce,  managed  the  paddles. 
There  was  nothing  further  from  the  thoughts  of  honest  Bruin, 
however,  than  to  beat  a  retreat.  Just  as  the  canoe  was  draw- 
ing near,  he  turned  suddenly  round  and  made  for  it,  with  a 
horrible  snarl  and  a  tremendous  show  of  teeth.  The  affrighted 
hunter  called  to  his  comrades  to  paddle  off.  Scarce  had  they 
turned  the  boat  when  the  bear  laid  his  enormous  claws  on  the 
gunwale,  and  attempted  to  get  on  board.  The  canoe  was  nearly 
overturned,  and  a  deluge  of  water  came  pouring  over  the  gun- 
wale. All  was  clamor,  terror,  and  confusion.  Every  one 
bawled  out— the  bear  roared  and  snarled — one  caught  up  a 
gun;  but  water  had  rendered  it  useless.  Others  handled  their 
paddles  more  effectually,  and  beating  old  Bruin  about  the  head 
and  claws,  obliged  him  to  reUnquish  his  hold.  They  now  plied 
their  paddles  with  might  and  main,  the  bear  made  the  best  of 
his  way  to  shore,  and  so  ended  the  second  exploit  of  the  noose ; 
the  hunters  determining  to  have  no  more  naval  contests  with 
grizzly  bears. 

The  voyagers  were  now  out  of  the  range  of  Crows  and  Black- 
feet  ;  but  they  were  approaching  the  country  of  the  Eees,  or 
Arickaras ;  a  tribe  no  less  dangerous ;  and  who  were,  generally, 
hostile  to  small  parties. 

In  passing  through  their  country,  Wyeth  laid  by  all  day, 
and  drifted  quietly  down  the  river  at  night.  In  this  way  he 
passed  on,  until  he  supposed  himeelf  safely  through  the  region 
of  danger ;  when  he  resumed  his  voyaging  in  the  o^qv.  day. 
On  the  3d  of  September  he  had  landed,  at  midday,  to  dine; 
and  while  some  were  making  a  fire,  one  of  the  hunters 
mounted  a  high  bank  to  look  out  ^or  game.  He  had  scarce 
glanced  his  eye  round,  when  he  perceived  horses  grazing  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  Crouching  down  he  slunk  back 
to  the  camp,  and  reported  what  he  had  seen.  On  further 
reconnoitring,  the  voyagers  counted  twenty-one  lodges ;  and, 
from  the  number  of  horses,  computed  that  there  must  be 
nearly  a  hundred  Indians  encamped  there.  They  now  drew 
their  boat,  with  all  speed  and  caution,  into  a  thicket  of  water 
willows,  and  remained  closely  concealed  all  day.  As  soon  as 
the  night  closed  in  they  re-embarked.  The  moon  would  rise 
early ;  so  that  they  had  but  about  two  hours  of  darkness  to  get 
past  the  camp.    The  night,  however,  was  cloudy,  with  a  blus- 


w 


ADVENTUEES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


257 


tering  wind.  Silently,  and  with  miifiicd  oai-s,  they  glided  down 
the  river,  keeping  close  under  the  shore  opposite  to  the  camp ; 
watching  its  various  lodges  and  fires,  and  the  dark  forms  pass- 
ing to*and  fro  between  them.  Suddenly,  on  turning  a  point  of 
land,  they  found  themselves  close  upon  a  camp  on  their  own 
side  oj:  the  river.  It  appeared  that  not  more  than  one  half  of 
the  band  had  crossed.  They  were  within  a  few  yards  of  the 
shore;  they  saw  distinctly  the  savages— some  standing,  some 
lying  round  the  fire.  Horses  Avere  grazing  around.  Some 
lodges  were  set  up,  others  had  been  sent  across  the  river.  The 
red  glare  of  the  fires  upon  these  wild  groups  and  harsh  faces, 
contrasted  with  the  surrounding  darkness,  had  a  startlmg 
effect,  as  the  voyagers  suddenly  came  upon  the  scene.  The 
dogs  of  the  camp  perceived  them,  and  barked ;  but  the  Indians, 
fortunately,  took  no  heed  of  their  clamor.  Wyeth  instantly 
sheered  his  boat  out  into  the  stream ;  when,  unluckily  it  struck 
UDoii  a  sand-bar,  and  stuck  fast.  It  was  a  i)ei*iloiis  and  trying 
sit  ation;  for  he  was  fixed  between  the  two  camps,  and  witliin 
rifle  range  of  both.  All  hands  jumped  out  into  the  water,  ;md 
tried  to  get  the  boat  off;  but  as  no  one  dared  to  give  the  word, 
they  could  not  pull  together,  and  their  labor  Avas  in  vain.  In 
this  way  they  labored  for  a  long  time;  initil  Wyeth  thought  of 
giving  a  signal  for  a  general  heave,  by  liftirig  \\\^  hat.  The  ex- 
pedient succeeded.  They  launched  their  canoe  again  into  deep 
water,  and  getting  in,  had  the  delight  of  seeing  the  canij:)  fires 
of  the  savages  soon  fading  in  the  distance. 

They  continued  under  way  the  greater  part  of  the  night,  until 
far  beyond  all  danger  from  this  band,  when  they  puUed  to 
shore,  and  encamped. 

The  following  day  was  windy,  and  they  came  near  upsetting 
their  boat  in  carrying  sail.  T;)ward  evening,  the  wind  subsid- 
ed and  a  beautiful  calm  night  succeeded.  They  floated  along 
with  the  current  throughout  tiie  night,  taking  turns  to  watch 
and  steer.  Thci  deep  stillness  of  the  night  was  occasionally 
interrupted  by  the  neighhig  of  the  elk,  the  lioarse  lowing  of 
the  buffalo,  the  liooting  of  large  <)wls,  and  the  screeching  oi 
ttie  small  ones,  now  and  then  the  splash  of  a  beavor,  or  the 
gong-like  sound  of  tbe  swan. 

Part  of  their  voyage  M'as  extremely  tempestuous;  with  high 
winds,  tremendous  thunder,  and  soaking  rnin;  and  they  were 
reyieatedly  in  extreme  danger  from  diift-wood  and  suidcen 
trees.  On  one  occasion,  having  continued  to  float  at  night, 
after  the  moon  was  down,  they  ran  under  a  great  snag,  or 


m)\ 


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258 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


sunken  tree,  with  dry  branches  above  the  water.  These  caught 
the  mast,  while  the  boat  swung  round,  broadside  to  the  stream, 
and  began  to  fill  with  water.  Nothing  saved  her  from  total 
wreck,  but  cutting  away  the  mast.  She  then  drove  down  the 
stream,  but  left  one  of  the  unlucky  half-breeds  clinging  to  the 
snag,  like  a  monkey  to  a  pole.  It  was  necessary  to  run  in 
shore,  toil  up,  laboriously,  along  the  eddies  and  to  attain  some 
distance  above  the  snag,  when  they  launched  forth  again  into 
the  stream,  and  floated  down  with  it  to  his  rescue. 

We  forbear  to  detail  all  the  circumstaEces  and  adventures  of 
upward  of  a  month's  voyage,  down  the  windings  and  doublings 
of  this  vast  river ;  in  the  course  of  which  they  stopped  occa- 
sionally at  a  post  of  one  of  the  rival  fur  companies,  or  at  a 
government  agency  for  an  Indian  tribe.  Neither  shall  wo 
dwell  upon  the  changes  of  climate  and  productions,  as  the 
voyagei's  swept  down  from  north  to  south,  across  several  de- 
grees of  latitude;  arriving  at  the  regions  of  oaks  and  syca- 
mores ;  of  mulberry  and  basswood  trees ;  of  paroquets  and  wild 
turkeys.  This  is  one  of  tne  characteristics  of  the  middle  and 
lower  part  of  tlie  Missouri;  but  still  more  so  of  the  Mississippi, 
whose  rapid  cvirrent  traverses  a  succession  of  latitudes  so  as  in 
a  few  days  to  float  the  voyager  almost  from  the  frozen  regions 
to  the  tropics. 

The  voyage  of  Wyeth  shows  the  regular  and  unobstructed 
flow  of  the  rivers,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Eocky  Mountains,  in 
contrast  to  those  of  the  western  side ;  where  rocks  and  rapids 
continually  menace  and  obstruct  the  voyager.  We  find  him 
in  a  frail  bark  of  skins,  launching  himself  in  a  stream  at  the 
foot  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  floating  down  from  river  to 
river,  as  they  empty  themselves  into  each  other;  and  so  he 
might  have  kept  on  upward  of  two  thousand  miles,  until  his 
little  bark  should  diift  into  the  ocean.  At  present  we  shall 
stop  with  him  at  Cantonment  Leavenworth,  the  frontier  post 
of  the  United  States ;  where  hQ  arrived  on  the  27th  of  Septem- 
ber. 

Here  his  first  care  was  to  have  his  Nez  Perce  Indian,  and  his 
half-breed  boy,  Baptiste,  vaccinated.  As  they  ajiproached  the 
fort,  they  were  hailed  by  the  sentinel.  The  sight  of  a  soldier 
in  full  array,  with  what  appeared  to  be  a  long  knife  glittering 
on  the  end  of  a  rmii-icet,  struck  Baptiste  with  such  afTright  that 
he  took  U^  his  liviols,  bawling  for  mercy  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 
The  Nez  Perec  would  have  followed  him,  had  not  Wyeth  as- 
sured him  of  his  safety.    When  they  underwent  the  operation 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


259 


of  the  lancet,  the  doctor's  wife  and  another  lady  were  present ; 
both  beautiful  women.  They  were  the  first  wliite  women  that 
they  had  seen,  and  they  could  not  keep  their  eyas  off  of  them. 
On  returning  to  the  boat,  they  recounted  to  their  companions 
all  that  they  had  observed  at  the  fort ;  but  were  especially  elo- 
quent about  the  white  squaws,  who,  they  said,  were  white  as 
snow,  and  more  beautiful  than  any  human  being  they  had  ever 
beheld. 

We  shall  not  accomijany  the  captain  any  further  in  his  voy- 
age; but  will  simply  sttite  that  he  made  his  way  to  Boston, 
where  he  succeeded  in  organizing  an  association  under  the 
name  of  "  The  Columbia  River  Fisliing  and  Trading  Company," 
for  his  original  objects  of  a  salmon  fishery  and  a  trade  in  furs. 
A  brig,  the  May  Dacrcs,  had  been  dispatched  for  the  Columbia 
with  supplies ;  and  he  was  now  on  his  way  to  the  same  point, 
at  the  head  of  sixty  men,  whom  he  had  enlisted  at  St.  Louis ; 
some  of  whom  were  experienced  hunters,  and  all  more  habitu- 
ated to  the  life  of  the  wilderness  than  his  first  band  of  "  down- 
easters." 

We  will  now  return  to  Captain  Bonneville  and  his  party, 
whom  we  left,  malting  up  their  packs  and  saddhng  their  horses, 
in  Bear  River  valley. 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

DEPARTURE  OF  CAPTAIA  BONNEVILLE  FOR  THE  COLUMBIA— AD- 
VANCE OF  WYETH— EFFORTS  TO  KEEP  THE  LEAD— HUDSON'S 
BAY  PARTY— A  JUNKETING— A  DELECTABLE  BEVERAGE— HONEY 
AND  ALCOHOL— HIGH  CAROUSING — THE  CANADIAN  "  BON  VI- 
VANT"— A  CACHE— A  RAPID  MOVE— WYETH  AND  HIS  PLANS— 
HIS  TRAVELLING  COMPANIONS— BUFFALO  HUNTING — MORE  CON- 
VIVIALITY—AN INTERRUPTION. 

It  was  the  3d  of  July  that  Captain  Bonneville  set  out  on  his 
second  visit  to  the  banks  of  the  Columbia,  at  the  head  of 
twenty-three  men.  He  travelled  leisurely,  to  keep  his  horses 
fresh,  until  on  the  lOth  of  July  a  scout  brought  word  tliat 
Wyoth,  with  his  band,  was  but  fifty  niih^s  in  the  roar,  and 
pushing  forward  with  all  speed.  This  caused  some  bustle  in 
thc^  camp ;  for  it  was  important  to  g(it  first  to  the  buffalo  ground 


r\ 

•nil 


' 


^  *. 


h;  n 


■I 


'' 


'M: 


f  '"  I] 


m 


260 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


to  secure  provisions  for  the  journey.  As  the  horses  were  too 
heavily  laden  to  travel  fast,  a  cache  was  digged,  as  promptly 
as  ijossible,  to  receive  all  superfluous  baggage.  Just  as  it  was 
finished,  a  spring  burst  out  of  the  earth  at  the  bottom.  Another 
cache  was  therefore  digged,  about  two  miles  further  on;  when, 
as  they  were  about  to  bury  the  effects,  a  line  of  horsemen  with 
pack-horses,  were  seen  streaking  over  the  plain,  and  encamped 
dose  by. 

It  proved  to  be  a  small  band  in  the  service  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  under  the  command  of  a  veteran  Canadian; 
one  of  those  petty  leaders,  who,  with  a  small  party  of  men,  nnd 
a  small  supply  of  goods,  are  employed  to  follow  up  a  band  of 
Indians  from  one  hunting  ground  to  another,  and  buy  up  their 
peltries. 

Having  received  numerous  civilities  from  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  the  captain  sent  an  invitation  to  the  officers  of  the 
party  to  an  evening  regale ;  and  set  to  work  to  make  jovial 
preparations.  As  the  night  air  in  those  elevated  regions  is  apt 
to  be  cold,  a  blazing  fire  was  soon  made,  that  would  have  done 
credit  to  a  Christmas  dinner,  instead  of  a  midsummer  banquet. 
The  parties  met  in  high  good-fellowship.  There  was  abundance 
of  such  hunters'  fare  as  the  neighborhood  furnished ;  and  it  was 
all  discussed  with  mountain  appetites.  Tliey  talked  over  all 
the  events  of  their  late  campaigns ;  but  the  Canadian  veteran 
had  been  unlucky  in  some  of  his  transactions ;  and  his  brow 
began  to  grow  cloudy.  Captain  Bonneville  remarked  his  rising 
spleen,  and  regretted  that  he  had  no  juice  of  the  grape  to  Koep 
it  down. 

A  man's  wit,  however,  is  quick  and  inventive  in  the  wilder- 
ness; a  thought  suggested  itself  to  the  captain,  how  he  might 
brew  a  delectable  beverage.  Among  his  stores  was  a  keg  of 
honey  but  half  exhausted.  This  he  filled  up  with  alcohol,  and 
stirred  the  fiery  and  mellifluous  ingredients  together.  The 
glorious  results  may  readily  be  imagined ;  a  happy  compomid 
of  strength  nnd  sweetness,  enough  to  soothe  the  most  ruffled 
temper  and  unsettle  the  most  solid  understanding. 

The  beverngo  worked  to  a  chaiTn ;  the  can  circulated  merrily ; 
the  first  deep  draught  washed  out  every  care  from  the  mind  of 
the  veteran ;  the  second  elevated  his  spirit  to  the  clouds.  He 
was,  in  fact,  a  boon  companion ;  as  all  veteran  Canadian  traders 
are  apt  to  be.  He  now  became  glorious ;  talked  over  all  his  ex 
ploits,  his  huntings,  his  fightings  with  Indian  braves,  his  loves 
with  Indian  beauties ;  sang  snatches  of  old  French  ditties,  and 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


261 


Canadian  boat  songs ;  drank  deeper  and  deeper,  sang  louder 
and  louder;  until,  having  readied  a  climax  of  drunken  gayetj , 
he  gradually  declined,  and  at  length  fell  fast  asleep  upon  the 
ground.  After  a  long  naji  he  again  raised  ids  head,  imbibed 
another  potation  of  the  "sweet  and  strong,"  flashed  up  with 
another  slight  blaze  of  French  gayety,  and  again  fell  asleep. 

The  morning  found  him  still  upon  the  field  of  action,  but  in 
sad  and  sorrowful  condition;  suffering  the  penalties  of  past 
pleasures,  and  calling  to  mind  the  captain's  dulcet  compound, 
with  many  a  retch  and  spasm.  It  seemed  as  if  the  honey  and 
alcohol,  which  had  passed  so  glibly  and  smoothly  over  his 
tongue,  were  at  war  within  his  stoninch ;  and  that  he  had  a 
swarm  of  bees  within  his  head.  In  short,  so  helpless  and  woe- 
begone was  his  plight,  that  his  party  proceeded  on  their  march 
without  him;  the  captain  promising  to  bring  him  on  in  safety 
in  the  after  part  of  the  day. 

As  soon  as  this  party  had  moved  off,  Captain  Bonneville's 
men  proceeded  to  construct  and  fill  their  cache ;  and  just  as  it 
was  completed  the  party  of  Wyeth  was  descried  at  a  distance. 
In  a  moment  all  was  activity  to  take  the  road.  The  horses 
were  prepared  and  mounted ;  and  being  lightened  of  a  groat 
part  of  their  burdens,  were  able  to  move  with  celerity.  As  to 
the  worthy  convive  of  the  preceding  evening,  he  was  carefully 
gathered  up  from  the  hunter's  couch  on  which  he  lay,  re- 
pentant and  supine,  and,  being  packed  upon  one  of  the  horses, 
was  hurried  forward  with  the  convoy,  groaning  and  ejaculat- 
ing at  every  jolt. 

In  the  course  of  the  day,  Wyeth,  being  lightly  mounted, 
rode  ahead  of  his  party,  and  overtook  Captain  Bonneville. 
Their  meeting  was  friendly  and  courteous ;  and  they  discussed, 
sociably,  their  respective  fortunes  since  they  separated  oji  the 
banks  of  the  Bighorn.  Wyeth  annoimced  his  intention  of 
establishing  a  small  trading  post  at  the  mouth  of  the  Port- 
neuf,  and  leaving  a  few  men  there,  with  a  (quantity  of  goods, 
to  trade  with  the  neighboring  Indians.  He  was  compelled,  in 
fact,  to  this  measure,  in  consequence  of  the  refusal  of  the 
Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company  to  take  a  supply  of  goods 
which  he  had brouglit  out  for  them  according  to  contract;  and 
which  ho  had  no  other  mode  of  disposing  of.  He  further  in- 
formed Captain  Bonneville  that  the  competition  between  the 
Rocky  Mountain  and  American  Fur  Companies  which  had 
led  to  such  nefarious  stratagems  and  deadly  feuds,  was  at  an 
end ;  they  having  divided  the  country  between  them,  allotting 


v\. 


lilt 


!■; 


202 


AD  Vi:  MURKS  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


I  '( 


1 1  • 


boundaries  within  which  each  was  to  trade  and  hunt,  so  as 
not  to  interfere  with  the  other. 

In  company  withWyeth  were  travclh'ngtwo  men  of  science  ^ 
Mr.  Nuttall,  the  botanist;  the  same  who  ascended  the  Mis- 
souri at  the  time  of  the  expedition  to  Astoria;  and  Mr,  Town- 
shend,  an  ornithologist;  from  these  gentlemen  we  may  look 
forwai'd  to  important  information  concerning  these  interest- 
ing regions.  There  were  three  religious  missionaries,  also, 
bound  to  the  shores'  of  the  Columbia,  to  spread  the  light  of 
the  Gospel  in  that  far  wilderness. 

After  liding  for  some  time  together,  in  friendly  conversa- 
tion, Wyeth  retui'ned  to  his  party,  and  Captain  Bonneville 
continued  to  press  forward,  and  to  gain  ground.  At  night  he 
sent  off  the  sadly  sober  and  moralizing  chief  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  under  a  proper  escort,  to  rejoin  his  people; 
his  route  bi-ancliing  off  in  a  different  direction.  The  latter 
touk  a  cordial  leave  of  his  host,  hoping,  on  some  future  occa- 
sion, to  repay  his  hospitality  in  kind. 

In  the  morning  the  captain  was  early  on  the  march ;  throw- 
ing scouts  out  far  ahead,  to  scour  hill  and  dale,  in  search  of 
buffalo.  He  had  confidently  expected  to  find  game,  in  abun- 
dance, on  the  head- waters  of  the  Portneuf ;  but  on  reaching 
that  region,  not  a  track  was  to  be  seen. 

At  length,  one  of  the  scouts,  who  had  made  a  wide  sweep 
away  to  the  head-waters  of  the  Blackfoot  River,  discovered 
great  herds  quietly  grazing  in  the  adjacent  meadows.  He  set 
out  on  his  return,  to  report  his  discoveries ;  but  night  over- 
taking him,  he  was  kindly  and  hospital)]  j  entertained  at  the 
camp  Qi  Wyeth.  As  soon  as  day  dawned  ho  hastened  to  his 
own  camp  with  the  welcome  intelligence ;  and  about  ten  o'clock 
of  the  same  morning.  Captain  Bonneville's  party  were  in  the 
midst  of  the  game; 

The  packs  were  scarcely  off  the  backs  of  the  mules,  when 
the  ruimers,  mounted  on  the  fleetest  horses,  were  full  tilt 
after  tlie  buffalo.  Others  of  the  men  were  busied  erecting 
scaffolds,  and  other  contrivances,  for  jerking  or  drying  meat ; 
otiiors  were  ligliting  great  fires  for  the  same  purpose;  soon  the 
hunters  began  to  make  their  appearance,  bringing  in  the 
choicest  morsels  of  buffalo  meat ;  these  were  placed  upon  the 
scaffolds,  and  the  whole  camp  presented  a  scene  of  singular 
hurry  and  activity.  At  daylight  the  next  morning,  the  run- 
ners again  took  the  field,  with  similar  success;  and.  after  an  in- 
torrr]  of  ropoRo  made  their  third  and  last  chase,  about  twelve 


\ 


i     (i 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


2G3 


o'clock ;  for  by  this  time,  Wyeth's  party  was  in  sight.  The 
game  being  now  driven  into  a  valley,  at  some  distance,  Wyeth 
was  obliged  to  fix  his  camp  there ;  but  he  came  in  the  evening 
to  pay  Captain  Bonneville  a  visit.  He  was  accompanied  by 
Captain  Stewart,  the  amateur  traveller;  who  had  not  yet  sated 
his  appetite  for  the  adventurous  life  of  the  wilderness.  With 
him,  also,  was  a  Mr.  M'Kay,  a  half-breed;  son  of  the  unfoi- 
tunate  adventurer  of  the  same  name  who  came  out  in  the  first 
maritime  expedition  to  Astoria  and  was  blown  up  in  the  Ton- 
quin.  His  son  had  grown  up  in  the  employ  of  the  British  fur 
companies;  and  was  a  prime  hunter,  and  a  daring  portisap- 
He  held,  moreover,  a  farm  in  the  valloj'  of  the  Wallamut. 

The  three  visitors,  when  they  reached  Captain  Bonneville's 
camp,  were  surprised  to  find  no  one  in  it  but  himself  and  three 
men ;  his  party  being  dispersed  in  oil  directions,  to  make  the 
most  of  their  present  chance  for  hunting.  They  remonstrated 
with  him  on  the  imprudence  of  remaining  with  so  trifling  a 
guard  in  a  region  eo  full  of  danger.  Captain  Bonneville  vindi- 
cated the  policy  of  his  conduct.  He  never  hesitated  to  send 
out  all  his  hunters,  when  any  important  object  was  to  be  at- 
tained ;  and  experience  had  taught  him  that  he  was  most  secure 
when  his  forces  were  thus  distributed  over  the  surrounding 
country.  He  then  was  sure  that  no  enemy  could  approach, 
from  any  direction,  without  being  discovered  by  his  hunters; 
who  have  a  quick  eye  for  detecting  the  slightest  signs  of  the 
proximity  of  Indians ;  and  who  would  instantly  convey  intelli- 
gence to  the  camp. 

The  captain  now  set  to  work  with  his  men,  to  prepare  a  suit- 
able entertainment  for  his  guests.  It  was  a  time  of  plenty  in 
the  camp;  of  prime  hunters'  dninties;  of  buffalo  humps,  and 
buffalo  tcnigues ;  and  roasted  ribs,  and  broiled  marrow-bones : 
all  these  wore  cooked  in  hunters'  style ;  served  up  with  a  pro- 
fusion known  only  on  a  plentiful  hunting  ground,  and  discussed 
with  an  appetite  that  would  astonish  the  puny  gourmands  of 
the  cities.  But  above  all,  and  to  give  a  bacchanalian  grace  to 
this  truly  masculine  repast,  the  captain  produced  his  mellifluous 
keg  of  home-brewed  nectar,  wnich  had  been  so  potent  over  the 
senses  of  fao  veteran  of  Hudson's  Bay.  Potations,  pottle  deep, 
again  went  round ;  never  did  beverage  excite  greater  glee,  or 
meet  ^vith  more  rapturous  commendation.  The  parties  were 
fast  advancing  to  that  happy  state  which  would  have  insured 
ample  cause  for  the  next  day's  repentance ;  and  the  bees  were 
already  beginning  to  buzz  about  their  ears,  when  a  messenger 


-i  ■ 


-   !     ' 


,11 


I  : 

i     li 
i 


!    ;  i 


%    il 


m 


,  i 


2G4 


ADVE^'TURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


came  Bpurrinc;  to  the  camp  with  intollip:once  that  Wyeth's  pco 
plo  h;id  got  entangled  hi  one  of  tliose  deep  and  frightful  ravines, 
piled  with  immense  fragments  of  volcanic  rock,  which  gash  the 
whole  country  about  the  head-waters  of  the  Blackfoot  River. 
The  revel  was  instantly  at  an  end ;  the  keg  of  sweet  and  potent 
home-brewed  was  deserted;  and  the  guests  departed  with  tdl 
speed  to  aid  in  extricatin,-?  their  companions  from  the  volcanic 
lavine. 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

A  RAPID  MARCH— A  CLOUD  OP  DUST — WILD  HORSEMEN — "HIGH 
jinks"— HORSE-RACING  AND  RIFLE-SHOOTING — THE  GAME  OF 
HAND— THE  FISHING  SEASON — MODE  OF  FISHING  -TABLE  LANDS 
— SALMON  FISHERS  — THE  CAPTAIN'S  VISIT  TO  AN  INDIAN  LODGE 
—THE  INDIAN  GIRL— THE  POCKET  MIRROR— SUPPER— TROUBLES 
OF  AN  EVIL  CONSCIENCE. 


4' 


1 
\  I 


"  Up  and  away  1"  is  the  first  thought  at  daylight  of  the  In- 
dian trader,  when  a  rival  is  at  hand  and  distance  is  to  be  gained. 
Early  in  tlio  morning,  Captain  Bonneville  ordered  the  half 
di'ied  meat  to  be  packed  upon  the  horses,  and  leaving  V/yeth 
and  his  party  to  hunt  the  scatterea  buffalo,  pushed  oif  rapidly 
to  the  east,  to  regain  the  plain  of  the  Portneuf.  His  march 
was  rugged  and  dangerous ;  through  volcanic  hills,  broken  into 
cliffs  and  precipices;  a-nd  seamed  with  tremendous  chasms, 
where  the  i*t:)cks  rose  i^'^e  walls. 

On  the  second  day,  however,  he  encamped  once  more  in  the 
plain,  and  as  it  was  .-^I'-U  early  some  of  the  men  strolled  out  to 
the  neighboring  hjlis^;.  In  casting  their  eyes  round  the  country, 
they  perceived  a  gror.t  cloud  of  dust  rising  in  the  south,  and 
evidently  approaching.  Hastening  bade  to  the  camp,  they 
gave  the  alarm.  Preparations  were  instantly  made  to  receive 
an  enemy ;  while  some  of  the  men,  throwing  themselves  upon 
the  "  running  liorses"  kept  for  hunting,  galloped  off  to  recon- 
noitre. In  a  little  while,  tliey  made  signals  from  a  distance 
that  nil  was  friendly.  By  this  time  the  cloud  of  dust  had  swept 
on  as  if  hurried  along  by  a  blast,  and  a  band  of  wild  horsemen 
came  dashing  at  full  leap  into  the  camp,  yelling  and  whooping 
like  so  many  maniacs.  Their  dresses,  their  accoutrements, 
their  mode  of  riding,  and  their  uncouth  clamor,  made  them 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTATN  BONNEVILLE. 


265 


Beom  a  party  of  savages  arrayed  for  war;  but  they  proved 
to  be  principally  half -breeds,  and  white  men  grown  savage  in 
the  wilderness,  who  were  employed  as  trappers  and  hiintei-s  in 
tlie  service  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 

Here  was  again  "high  jinks"  in  the  camp.  Captain  Bonne- 
ville's men  hailed  these  wild  scaraperei*s  as  congenial  spirits,  or 
rather  as  the  very  game  birds  of  their  class.  They  entertained 
them  wi'Ji  tlie  hospitality  of  mountaineers,  feasting  thcni  at 
every  fire.  At  first,  there  were  mutual  details  of  adventures 
and  exploits,  and  broad  joking  mingled  with  peals  of  laugliter. 
Then  came  on  boosting  of  the  comparative  merits  of  horses  and 
rifles,  which  soon  engrossed  every  tongue.  This  naturally  led 
to  racing,  and  shooting  at  a  mark;  ne  trial  of  speed  and  skill 
succeeded  another,  shouts  and  acclamations  rose  from  the  vic- 
torious parties,  fierce  altercations  succeeded,  and  a  general  me- 
lee was  about  to  take  place,  when  suddenly  the  attention  of  the 
quarrellers  was  arrested  by  a  strange  kind  of  Indian  chant  or 
chorus,  that  seemed  to  operate  upon  them  as  a  charm.  Their 
fury  was  at  an  end ;  a  tacit  reconciliation  succeeded,  and  the 
ideas  of  the  whole  mongrel  crowd— whites,  half-breeds,  and 
squaws — were  turned  in  a  new  direction.  They  all  formed  into 
groups,  and  taking  their  places  at  the  sevor;d  nres,  prepared 
for  one  of  the  most  exciting  amusements  of  the  Nez  Perces  and 
the  other  tribes  of  the  Far  West. 

Tlio  choral  chant,  in  fact,  which  had  thus  acted  as  a  chnrm, 
was  a  kind  of  wild  accompaniment  to  the  favorite  Indian  game 
of  "Hand."  This  is  played  by  two  parties  drawn  out  in  oppo- 
site platoons  before  a  blazing  fire.  It  is  in  some  respects  like 
the  old  game  of  passing  the  ring  or  the  button,  and  detecting 
the  hand  which  holds  it.  In  the  proi^ent  game,  the  object  hid- 
den, or  the  cache  as  it  is  called  by  the  trappers,  is  a  small  splint 
of  wood,  or  other  diminutive  article,  chat  may  be  concealed  in 
the  closed  hand.  This  is  passed  backward  and  forward  among 
the  party  "i;i  hand,"  while  the  party  "out  of  hand"  guess 
where  it  is  concealed.  To  heiglitcn  the  excitement  and  confuse 
the  guessers,  a  number  of  diy  poles  are  laid  before  each  pla- 
toon, upon  which  the  members  of  the  party  "in  hand  "beat 
furiously  with  short  staves,  keeping  tim?;  to  the  choral  chant 
already  mentioned,  which  waxes  fast  and  furious  as  the  game 
proceeds.  As  large  bets  ai"e  staked  u])on  the  game,  "the  excite- 
ment is  prodigious.  Each  party  in  turn  bursts  out  in  full  cho- 
rus, beating,  and  yelling,  and  working  themselves  up  into  such 
a  heat  that  the  perspiration  rolls  down  tlieir  naked  ^hoTdders. 


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266 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


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even  in  the  cold  of  a  winter  night.  The  bets  are  doubled  and 
trebled  as  the  game  advances,  the  mental  excitement  increases 
almost  to  madness,  and  all  the  worldly  effects  of  tlie  gamblers 
are  often  hazarded  upon  the  position  of  a  straw. 

These  gambling  games  were  kept  up  throughout  the  night; 
every  fire  glared  upon  a  group  that  looked  like  a  crew  oi 
maniacs  at  their  frantic  orgies,  and  the  scene  would  have  been 
kept  up  tmoughout  the  succeeding  day,  had  not  Captain  Bonne- 
ville iivterposod  his  authority,  and,  at  the  usual  hour,  issued 
his  ma:.'ching  orders. 

Proceeding  down  the  course  of  Snake  River,  the  hunters 
regularly  returned  to  camp  in  the  evening  laden  with  wild 
geese,  which  were  yet  scarcely  able  to  fly,  and  were  easily 
caught  in  great  numbers.  It  was  now  the  season  of  the  annual 
fish-feast,  with  which  the  Indians  in  these  parts  celebrate  the 
first  appearance  of  the  salmon  in  this  river.  These  fish  are 
taken  in  great  numbers  at  the  numerous  falls  of  about  four  feet 
pitch.  The  Indians  flank  the  shallow  water  just  below,  and 
spear  them  as  they  attempt  to  pass.  In  wide  parts  of  the  river, 
also,  they  place  a  sort  of  chevaux-de-frize,  or  fence,  of  poles  in- 
terwoven with  withes,  and  forming  an  angle  in  the  middle  of 
the  current,  where  a  small  opening  is  left  for  the  salmon  to 
pf  IS.  A^round  this  opening  the  Indians  station  themselves  on 
small  rafts,  and  ply  their  spears  with  great  success. 

The  table  lands  so  common  in  this  region  have  a  sandy  soil, 
inconsiderable  in  depth,  and  covered  with  sage,  or  more  prop- 
erly speaking,  wormwood.  Below  this  is  a  level  stratum  of 
rock,  riven  occasionaUy  by  frightful  chasms.  The  whole  plain 
rises  as  it  approaches  the  river,  and  terminates  with  high  and 
broken  cliffs,  difficult  to  pass,  and  in  many  places  so  precipitous 
that  it  is  impossible,  for  days  together,  to  get  down  to  the 
water's  edge,  to  give  drink  to  the  horses.  This  obliges  the 
traveller  occasionally  to  abandon  the  vicinity  of  the  river,  and 
make  a  wide  sweep  into  the  interior. 

It  was  now  far  in  the  month  of  July,  and  the  party  suffered 
extremely  from  sultry  weather  and  dusty  travelling.  The  flies 
and  gnats,  too,  were  extremely  troublesome  to  the  horses; 
especially  when  keeping  along  the  edge  of  the  river  where  it 
T-'iis  between  low  sand-banks.  Whenever  the  travellers  en- 
camped in  the  afternoon,  the  horses  retired  to  the  gravelly 
shores  and  remained  there,  without  attempting  to  feed  until 
the  cool  of  the  evening.  As  to  the  travellers,  they  plunged 
Into  the  clear  and  cool  current,  to  wash  away  the  dust  of  the 


vf:' 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILI.E. 


207 
The 


road  and  refresh  themselves  after  the  heat  of  the  day 
nights  were  always  cool  and  pleasant. 

At  one  place  where  they  encamped  for  some  time,  the  river 
was  nearly  live  hundred  yards  wide,  and  studded  with  grasHy 
islands,  adorned  with  groves  of  willow  and  cotton-wood.  Hero 
the  Indians  were  assembled  in  great  numbers,  and  had  barri- 
caded the  channels  between  the  islands,  to  enable  them  to 
spear  the  salmon  with  gi-eater  facility.  They  were  a  timid 
race,  and  seemed  unaccustomed  to  the  sight  of  white  men. 
Entering  one  of  the  huts.  Captain  Bomieville  found  the  inhab' 
itants  just  proceeding  to  cook  a  fine  salmon.  It  is  put  into  a 
pot  filled  with  cold  water,  and  hung  over  the  fire.  The 
moment  the  water  begins  to  boil,  the  fish  is  considered  cooked. 

Taking  his  seat  unceremoniously,  and  lighting  his  pipe,  the 
captain  awaited  the  cooking  of  the  fish,  intending  cO  invito 
himself  to  the  repast.  The  owner  of  the  hut  seemed  to  talce 
his  intrusion  in  good  part.  While  conversing  with  him  the 
captain  felt  something  move  behind  him,  and  turning  round 
and  removing  a  few  skins  and  old  buffalo  robes,  discovered  a 
young  girl,  about  fourteen  years  of  age,  crouched  beneath,  Avho 
directed  her  large  black  eyes  full  in  his  face,  and  continued  to 
gaze  in  mute  surprise  and  terror.  The  captain  endeavored  to 
dispel  her  fears,  and  drawing  a  bright  ribbon  from  his  pocket, 
attempted  repeatedly  to  tie  it  round  her  neck.  She  jerked 
back  at  each  attempt,  uttering  a  sound  very  much  like  a  snarl ; 
nor  could  all  .the  blandishments  of  the  captain,  albeit  a  pleas- 
ant, good-looking,  and  somewhat  gallant  man,  succeed  in  con- 
quering the  shyness  of  the  savage  little  beauty.  His  attentions 
were  now  turned  toward  the  parents,  whom  he  presented  with 
an  awl  and  a  little  tobacco,  and  having  thus  secured  their 
good-wiU,  continued  to  smoke  his  pipe  and  watch  the  salmon. 
While  thus  seated  near  the  threshold,  an  urchin  of  the  family 
approached  the  door,  but  catching  a  sight  of  the  strange  guest, 
ran  off  screaming  with  terror  and  ensconced  himself  behind 
ihe  long  straw  at  the  back  of  the  hut. 

Desirous  to  dispel  entirely  this  timidity,  and  to  open  a  trade 
with  the  simple  inhabitants  of  the  hut,  who,  he  did  not  doubt, 
had  furs  somewhere  concealed,  the  captain  now  drew  forth 
that  grand  lure  in  the  eyes  of  a  savage,  a  pocket  mirror.  The 
sight  of  it  was  irresistible.  After  examining  it  for  a  long 
time  with  wonder  and  admiration,  they  produced  a  musk-rat 
skin,  and  offered  it  in  exchange.  The  captain  shook  his  head ; 
but  purchased  the  skin  for  a  omiplo  of  buttons— superfluous 


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ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


trinkets  1  as  the  worthy  lord  of  the  hovel  had  neither  coat  uof 
breeches  on  which  to  jjlace  them. 

The  mirror  still  continued  the  great  object  of  desire,  particu- 
larly in  the  eyes  of  the  old  housewife,  wlio  i)roduced  a  pot  (jf 
parched  flour  and  a  tjtring  of  biscuit  roots.  Tliesc  procured 
her  some  trifle  in  return;  but  could  not  command  the  purchase 
of  the  mirror.  The  salmon  being  now  completely  cooked,  they 
all  joined  heartily  in  supper.  A  bounteous  portion  was  depos- 
ited before  the  captain  by  the  old  woman,  upon  some  fresli 
grass,  which  served  instead  of  a  i)latter;  and  never  had  he 
tasted  a  salmon  boiled  so  completely  to  his  fancy. 

Supper  being  over,  the  captain  lighted  his  pipe  and  passed  it 
to  his  host,  who,  inhiding  the  smoke,  pulled  it  through  his 
nostrils  so  assiduously,  that  in  a  little  while  his  heal  maui- 
fested  signs  of  confusion  and  dizziness.  Being  satisfied,  by 
this  time,  of  the  kindly  and  companionable  qualities  of  the 
captain,  he  became  easy  and  communicative;  and  at  length 
hinted  something  about  exchanging  beaver  skins  for  horses. 
The  captain  at  once  offered  to  dispose  of  liis  steed,  which  stood 
fastened  at  the  door.  The  bargain  was  soon  concluded,  where- 
upon the  Indian,  removing  a  pile  of  bushes  imder  which  his 
valuables  were  concealed,  drew  forth  the  number  of  skins 
agreed  upon  as  the  price. 

Shortly  afterward,  some  of  the  captain's  people  coming  uj), 
he  ordered  another  horse  to  be  saddled,  and,  mounting  it,  took 
bis  departure  from  %e  hut,  after  distributing  a  iow  trifling 
presents  among  its  simple  inhabitants.  During  all  the  time  of 
his  visit,  the  little  Indian  girl  had  kept  her  large  black  eyes 
fixed  upon  him,  almost  without  Avinkiug,  watching  every 
movement  with  awe  and  wonder;  and  as  he  rode  oif,  remained 
gazing  after  him,  motionless  as  a  statue.  Her  fath(!r,  however, 
delighted  with  his  now  acquaintance,  mount(!d  his  newly  pur- 
chased horse,  and  followed  in  the  train  of  the  captain,  to  whom 
he  continued  to  be  a  faithful  and  useful  adherent  during  his 
sojourn  in  the  neighborhood. 

The  cowardly  eftects  of  an  evil  conscience  wore  evidcniced  in 
the  conduct  of  one  of  the  captain's  men,  who  had  been  in  the 
Californian  expedition.  During  all  tlieir  intercourse  with  the 
narmless  people  of  this  i)lace,  lu^  liad  manifestiHl  uneasiness 
and  anxiety.  While  his  ''oinpanions  mingled  freely  and  joy- 
ously with  the  natives,  he  went  about  with  a  restless,  hiis- 
picious  look;  scrutinizing  cvtu-y  i)ainted  form  and  face  and 
starting  often  at  the  suddc^u  ap])r()ach  oC  some  meek  a)ul  iu 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


2G0 


offensive  savage,  who  regarded  him  with  reverence  as  &,  supe- 
rior being.  Yet  this  was  ordinarily  a  bold  fcllo\v^,  who  never 
flinched  from  danger,  nor  turned  pale  at  the  prospect  of  a  bat- 
tle. At  length  he  requested  permissicni  of  Captain  Bonneville 
to  keep  out  of  the  way  of  these  people  entirely.  Their  strik- 
ing resemblance,  he  said,  to  the  people  of  Ogden's  River,  made 
him  continually  fear  that  some  among  them  might  have 
seen  him  in  that  expedition;  and  might  seek  an  oi)p'jr- 
tunity  of  revenge.  Ever  after  this,  while  they  remained 
in  this  neighborhood,  he  Avould  skulk  out  of  the  way  and 
keep  aloof  when  any  of  the  native  inhabitants  approached. 
"Such,"  observes  Captain  Bonneville,  "is  the  effect  of  self- 
reproach,  even  upon  ^hf.'  roving  trapper  in  the  wilderness,  who 
has  little  else  to  fear  than  the  stings  of  his  own  guilty  con- 
science." 


CHAPTEE  XLIV. 

OUTFIT  OF  A  TRAPPER — RISKS  TO  WHICH  HE  IS  SUB.IECTED— 
PARTNERSHIP  OF  TRAPPERS — ENMITY  OF  INDIANS  —  DISTANT 
SMOKE — A  COUNTRY  ON  FlRE — GUN  CREEK— GRAND  ROND— FINE 
PASTURES— PERPI.EXITIES  IN  A  SMOKY  COUNTRY— CONFLAGJtA- 
TION  OF  FORESTS. 

It  had  been  the  intention  of  Captain  Bonneville,  in  descend- 
ing along  Snake  River,  to  scatter  his  trappers  ujion  the  smaller 
streams.  In  this  way  a  range  of  ctjuntry  is  trapped  by  small 
detachments  from  a  main  body.  The  outfit  of  a  trapper  in 
generally  a  rifle,  a  pound  of  powdei-,  and  foui*  i)ounds  of  l(>ad, 
with  a  bullet  mould,  seven  traps,  an  axe,  a  hatchet,  a  knife; 
and  awl,  a  camp  kettle,  two  blankets,  and,  where  supplies  are 
plenty,  seven  pounds  of  Hour.  He  has,  generally,  two  or  tliroe 
horses,  to  carry  himself  aiid  his  baggage  and  peltries.  Two 
trappers  connnonly  go  togethci',  foi*  the  ])uriioses  of  mutual 
assistance  and  supi»ort;  a  larger  party  c(^iild  not  easily  escape 
the  eyes  of  the  Indians.  It  is  a  sci'vice  of  peril,  and  even 
more  so  at  present  than  formerly,  for  the  Indians,  since  they 
have  got  into  the  habit  of  tratTicking  i>elti'ies  with  the  traders, 
have  learned  thf  value  of  the  beaver,  and  look  ui)on  the  ti-ap- 
p(M-s  as  poachers,  who  are  filcliing  the  i-icbcs  from  their 
streams,  and  interfering  with  their  market.     They  make  no 


■  I 

270 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


hesitation,  therefore,  to  murder  the  soHtary  trapper,  and  thus 
destroy  a  competitor,  while  they  possess  themselvt^s  ol  his 
spoils.  It  is  with  regret  we  add,  too,  that  this  hostility  ha--!  in 
many  cases  been  instigated  by  traders,  desirous  of  injuring 
their  rivals,  but  wlio  have  themselves  often  reapc.l  the  fruits 
of  the  mischief  they  have  sown. 

When  two  trai)pers  undertake  any  considerable  stream, 
I'loir  mode  of  proceeding  is,  to  hide  their  horses  in  some  lonely 
glen,  where  they  can  graze  unobserved.  They  then  build  a 
small  hut,  dig  out  a  canoe  from  a  cotton- wood  tree,  and  in  this 
puke  along  shore  silently,  in  the  evening,  and  set  tlieir  traps. 
These  they  revisit  in  the  same  silent  way  at  daybreak.  When 
they  take  any  beaver  they  bring  it  home,  skin  it,  stretch  the 
skins  on  sticks  to  dry,  and  feast  upon  the  flesh.  The  b(jdy, 
hung  up  before  the  fire,  tin-  ,;  by  its  own  weight,  and  is  roasted 
in  a  superior  style ;  the  tail  is  the  trapper's  tidbit ;  it  is  cut  off, 
put  on  the  end  of  a  stick,  and  toasted,  and  is  considered  even 
a  greater  dainty  than  the  tongue  or  the  marrow-bone  of  a 
buffalo. 

With  all  their  silence  and  caution,  however,  the  poor  trap- 
]iers  cannot  always  escape  their  hawk-eyed  enemies.  Their 
trail  has  been  discovered,  perhaps,  and  followed  up  for  many 
a  mile;  or  their  smoke  has  been  seen  curling  up  out  of  the 
secret  glen,  or  has  been  scentcsd  by  the  savages,  whose  sense  of 
smell  is  almost  as  acute  as  that  of  sight.  Sometimes  tliey  are 
pounced  upon  when  in  the  act  of  netting  their  traps;  at  other 
times,  they  are  roused  from  their  sleep  by  the  horrid  Avar- 
whoop;  or,  perhaps,  have  a  bullet  or  an  arrow  whistling  about 
their  ears,  in  the  midst  of  one  of  their  beaver  brmquets.  In 
this  way  they  are  piclced  off,  from  time  to  time,  and  nothing 
is  known  of  them,  until,  j)erc]ian<'e,  their  bones  are  found 
bleaching  in  some  lonely  ravine,  or  on  the  banks  of  some 
nameless  stream,  whicli  from  tliat  time  is  called  after  them. 
Many  of  the  small  streams  beyond  the  mountains  thus  perpet- 
uate tli<;  names  of  ujifortunatc  trappers  that  have  b(?en  mur- 
dered on  their  banks. 

A  ku  )wledg(>  of  these  dangers  deterred  Captain  Bonneville, 
in  the  present  instance,  from  detaching  small  parties  of  trap- 
pers ns  ho  had  intended;  for  his  scouts  brought  liim  word  that 
formi.'lable  bands  of  the  I'anneek  Indians  were  lying  on  tlio 
r.ois('(>  and  Payetie  Rivers,  at  no  great  distance,  so  tliat  ^h'y 
would  be  i\\A  to  detect  and  cut  otT  any  stragg](^rs.  It  l)ohooved 
him,  idso,  to  keep  his  party  together,  to  guard  against  any 


^iDVENTURL:S  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


271 


predatory  attack  upon  ♦he  main  body;  he  continued  on  his 
way,  therefore,  without  dividing  his  forces.  And  fortunate  it 
was  that  he  did  so ;  for  in  a  httle  while  he  encountered  one  of 
the  i)hcnomena  <>f  the  western  wilds  that  would  elfectuaJly 
ha\u  prevented  his  scattered  people  from  finding  each  other 
again.  In  a  word,  it  was  the  season  of  setting  fire  to  the  prai- 
ries. As  he  advanced  he  began  to  perceive;  great  clouds  ot 
smoke  at  a  distance,  rising  by  degrees,  and  spreading  over  the 
whole  face  of  the  country.  The  atmosphere  became  dry  and 
surcharged  with  murky  vapor,  parching  to  the  skin,  and  ii-ii- 
tatlng  to  the  e.v'cs.  Whon  travelling  among  the  hills,  they 
could  scarcely  discern  objects  at  the  distance  of  a  few  paces; 
indeed,  the  least  exertion  of  the  vision  was  painful.  There 
was  evidently  some  vast  conflagi'ation  in  tht;  direction  toward 
which  they  vvert'  proceeding;  it  was  as  ;yet  at  a  great  distance, 
and  during  the  day  they  could  only  see  the  smoke  rising  in 
larger  and  denser  volumes,  and  rolhng  forth  in  an  immense 
canopy.  At  night  the  skies  were  all  glowing  with  the  reflec- 
tion of  unseen  fires,  hanging  in  an  innnense  body  of  lurid  light 
high  above  the  horizon. 

Having  reached  Gim  Creek,  an  important  stream  coming 
from  the  left.  Captain  Bonnf-ville  turned  up  its  course,  to 
traverse  the  mountains  and  avoid  the  great  bend  of  Snake 
River.  Leiiig  now  out  of  the  range  of  th(>  Bannecks,  he  sent 
(.at  his  people  in  all  directions  to  Inmt  the  antelope  for  present 
supplies ;  keeping  the  dried  meats  for  places  where  game  might 
be  scarce. 

During  four  days  that  the  party  were  ascending  Gun  Creek, 
the  smoke  continued  to  increase  so  rapidly  that  it  was  impossi- 
ble to  distinguish  the  face  of  the  country  and  ascertain  land- 
marks. Fortunately,  the  travellers  fell  \\\)o\\  an  Indian  trail, 
which  led  them  to  the  lu>ad- waters  of  tlie  Fourche  de  Glace  or 
Ice  River,  sometimes  called  the  Grand  Rond.  Hero  they 
found  all  the  plains  and  valleys  wra])]ied  in  one  vast  confla- 
gration; which  swept  over  the  long  gi'ass  in  billows  of  flame, 
shot  up  every  bush  and  tr<-e,  rose  in  great  colunms  from  the 
groveis,  and  set  up  elouds  of  smoke  that  t'ark(>ne(l  the  at- 
mosphere. To  avoid  this  sea  of  fii'e,  the  ti'avellei's  had  to 
pursue  their  rovu'se  close  along  the  foot  of  the  mr>untains;  but 
the  iri'itation  from  the  smoke  continued  to  be  tormenting. 

The  country  about  the  head-waters  of  the  Grand  Rond 
spreads  out  into  broad  imd  level  prairies,  extr"me1y  fertile,  and 
watered  by  mountain  springs  and  rivulets,    'inese  i)rairie6  are 


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272 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


-?sorted  to  by  small  bands  of  the  Skynses,  to  pasture  their 
horses,  as  well  a^  to  baii<iiiet  upon  the  salmon  wliich  abound  in 
the  neighboring  watery.  They  take  these  fish  in  great  {quanti- 
ties and  without  the  least  iiihculty ;  simply  taking  them  out  of 
the  water  witli  their  hands,  as  they  flounder  and  struggle  in  the 
numerous  long  shoals  of  the  principal  st]X\ams.  At  the  time 
the  travellers  passed  over  these  prairi<.'s,  some  of  the  narrow, 
deep  streams  by  which  they  were  interseetefi  were  completely 
choked  with  salmon,  which  they  took  in  great  numbers.  The 
wolves  and  bears  frequent  these  streams  at  this  season,  to 
avail  themselves  of  these  great  fisheries. 

The  travellers  continued,  for  many  days,  to  cxpericii?;--^  great 
ditficulties  and  discomforts  from  this  wide  conflagration,  which 
seemed  to  embrace  the  whole  wilderness.  Tlie  sun  was  for  a 
great  part  of  the  time  obscured  by  the  smoke,  and  the  loftiest 
mountains  were  hidden  from  view.  Bhm  Icing  along  in  this 
region  of  nust  and  uncertainty,  they  were  frequently  obliged 
to  make  long  circuits,  to  avoid  ob3taeles  which  they  could  not 
perceive  until  close  upon  tlu>m.  The  Indian  trails  were  their 
safest  guides,  for  though  they  sometimes  appeared  to  lead 
them  out  of  their  direct  course,  they  always  conducted  them 
to  the  passes. 

On  the  2(')th  of  August,  they  reached  the  head  of  the  Way- 
lee-way  River,  Here,  in  a  valley  of  the  mountains  through 
which  this  head-water  makes  its  way,  they  found  a  band  of 
the  Skynses,  who  were  extremely  sociable,  and  a])peared  to  bo 
well  disposed,  and  as  they  spoke  the  Nez  Perce  language,  an 
intercourse  was  easily  kerjt  up  svith  thtnn. 

In  the  pastures  on  tiie  banic  of  this  stream.  Captain  Bonne- 
ville encamped  for  a  iin  e,  for  the  purpose  of  recruiting  the 
strength  of  his  horses.  Scouts  wei'e  now  sent  out  to  explore 
the  surrounding  country,  and  search  Uw  a  convenient  pass 
through  the  mountains  toward  the  Walhunut  or  Multnomah. 
After  an  absence  of  twenty  da>'s  they  returned  weary  and  dis- 
coui-aged.  They  bad  been  hai'assed  and  jx-rplexed  in  rugged 
mountain  d(>files,  where  their  progress  v/as  continually  mv 
peded  by  rocks  and  precipices.  Often  tliey  had  been  obliged 
to  travel  along  the  edges  of  frightful  ra/ines,  where  a  ials<3 
step  would  have  been  fatal.  In  one  of  those  passes,  a  liorse 
f(>ll  from  the  brink  of  a  pr(vi])i('e,  and  would  have  bc(Mi  dashed 
to  pieces  bad  he  not  lo<1g(*d  among  tlie  bi'anches  of  a  tree,  from 
which  he  v/as  (>\t Heated  with  great  difliculty.  These, 'how- 
ever, were  not  tlie  worst  of  their  dilliculties  and  perils.     The 


AjTi^ENTUMs  OH'  CAPfAlN  BONNEVlLLIi:.         073 

great  conflagration  of  the  country,  '..iiich  had  harassed  the 
main  party  in  its  march,  was  still  more  awful  the  further  this 
explor'  3g  party  proceeded.  The  flames  which  swept  rapidly 
over  the  light  vegetation  of  the  prairies  assumed  a  fiercer 
character  and  took  a  stronger  hold  amid  the  wood*^'^  giens  and 
ravines  of  the  mountains.  Some  of  the  deep  gorg  r^  and  defiles 
sent  up  sheets  of  flame,  and  clouds  of  lurid  smoko,  and  sparks 
and  cinders  that  in  the  night  made  them  resemble  the  cratei*s 
of  volcanoes.  The  groves  and  forests,  too,  which  crowned  the 
cliffs,  shot  up  their  towering  columns  of  fire,  ,•  tid  added  to  the 
furnace  glow  of  the  mountains.  With  these  ..tupendoiis  sights 
were  combined  the  rushing  blasts  caused  by  the  raretied  air, 
which  roar^'d  and  howled  through  the  irirrovv  glens,  and 
whirled  forth  the  smoke  and  flames  :.  i^  petuous  wreaths. 
Ever  and  anon,  too,  was  heard  t'le  crash  of  falling  trees,  some- 
times tumbling  from  crags  and  precipices,  with  tremendous 
sounds. 

In  the  daytime,  the  mountains  were  wrapped  in  smoke  so 
dense  and  blinding,  that  the  explorers,  if  by  chance  they  sepa- 
rated, could  only  find  each  other  by  shouting.  Often,  too, 
they  had  to  grope  their  way  through  the  yet  burning  forests, 
in  constant  peril  from  the  limbs  and  tfurilrs  of  trees,  which 
frequently  fell  across  their  path.  At  length  tViey  gave  up  the 
attempt  to  find  a  pass  as  hopeless,  under  actual  circumstances, 
and  made  their  way  back  to  the  camp  to  report  their  ii'';J''^. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

'IHE  SKYNSES  —  THEIR  TRAFFIC  —  HUNTING  —  FOOD  —  HORSES  -  A. 
HORSE-RACE  —  DEVOTIONAL  FEELING  OF  THE  KKYNSES,  NKZ 
PERCES  AND  FLATIIEADS  —  PRAYERS  -  EXHORTATIONS  —  A 
PREACHER  ON  HORSERACK— EPFI<:(^T  OF  RELIGION  ON  THK  MAN- 
NERS OF  THE  TRIBES— A  NEW  LIGHT. 

During  the  absence  of  this  detuchnKMit.  a  sociable  inter- 
course had  been  kept  up  between  the  main  party  and  the 
^ik'ynses,  who  had  removed  into  theniMghboihood  of  tlie  cainj). 
These  people  dwell  about  the  waters  of  the  W.vy-lee-wny  and 
the  adjacent  country,  and  trade  legnlarly  with  tiie  lludstin's 
Bay  Oompimy ;  generally  givD^f  liorse.-i  in  exeliange  for  tlu- 


;    ,  I 


'      ■    ■'■ ' » 1 '      '  'i' 

I  '>10   'i\ 

, 

■  '    1                 ' 

s    ' 

;  ■;(.            ; 

i 

■i'i'     ; 

1 

1 

274 


ADVENTURES  OB'  CAPTAIN  BONNEVTLIJ^.. 


articles  of  which  thoy  stand  in  rood.  They  bring;  heavei 
skins,  also,  to  the  trading  jiosts;  not  procured  by  trapi>ing, 
but  by  a  course  of  internal  traflfic  with  i\i'i  shy  and  ignorant 
Shoshokoes  and  Too-el-icans,  who  keep  in  distant  and  un- 
frequented parts  of  the  country,  and  will  not  venture  near  tha 
trading  houses.  The  Sky  uses  hunt  the  dear  and  elk  occasion- 
ally; and  depend,  for  a  part  of  the  year,  on  fishing.  Their 
main  subsistence,  however,  is  upon  roots,  especially  the 
kamash.  This  bulbous  root  is  said  to  be  of  a  delicious  ilavox', 
and  highly  nutritious.  The  Avomen  dig  it  up  in  great  quanti- 
ties, steam  it,  and  deposit  it  in  caches  for  winter  provisions. 
It  grows  spontaneously,  and  absolutely  covers  the  jOains. 

This  tribe  were  comfortably  clad  and  equipped.  They  had  a 
few  rifles  among  them,  and  were  extremely  desirous  of  bnr> 
tering  for  those  of  Captain  Bonneville's  m(^n ;  offering  a  couple 
of  good  running  horses  for  a  light  rifle.  Their  first-rate  horses, 
however,  were  not  to  be  procured  from  them  on  any  terms. 
They  almost  invariably  use  ponies;  but  of  a  breed  infinitely 
superior  to  ar.y  in  the  United  States.  They  are  fond  of  tryijxg 
their  speed  and  bottom,  and  of  betting  upon  them. 

As  Captain  Bonneville  was  desirous  of  judging  of  the  com- 
parative merit  of  their  horses,  he  purchased  one  of  their  racers, 
and  had  a  trial  of  speed  between  that,  an  American,  and  a 
Shoshonie,  which  were  supposed  to  be  well  matched.  The 
race-coursG  was  for  the  distance  of  one  mile  and  a  half  out  and 
back.  For  the  first  half  mile  the  American  took  the  lead  by  a 
few  hands;  but,  losing  his  wind,  soon  fell  far  behind;  leavinj.- 
the  Shoshonie  and  Skynse  to  contend  together.  For  a  mile 
and  a  half  they  went  head  and  head:  but  at  the  turn  tho 
Skynse  took  the  lead  and  won  the  race  with  great  ease,  scarce 
drawing  a  (piick  breath  when  all  was  over. 

The  Skyiises,  like  the  Nez  Perces  and  the  Flathead  s,  have  p. 
strcmg  devotional  feelmg,  which  has  been  successfully  culti- 
vated by  some  of  the  resident  personoges  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company.  Sunday  is  invariably  kept  sacred  among  these 
iribos.  They  will  not  raise  tlieir  camp  on  that  day,  unless  in 
(^xti'(nne  cases  of  danger  or  hunger:  neither  will  they  hunt,  nor 
fish,  nor  trade,  nor  perform  any  kind  of  labor  on  that  day.  A 
part  of  it  is  passed  in  prayer  and  religious  ceremonies.  Some 
chief,  who  is  generally  at  the  same  time  what  is  called  a 
*'m(>dif'ine  man,''  assembh^s  tlie  conuuunity.  After  invoking 
blessings  from  the  D(Mty,  he  addresses  the  assemblngo,  exhort- 
ing lhi>m  to  good  conduct;  to  bo  diligent  in  providing  for  their 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


families;  to  abstain  from  lying  and  stealing;  to  avoid  (luarrcl- 
ling  or  cheating  in  their  play,  and  to  be  just  antl  hospitable  to 
all  strangers  who  may  be  among  them,  l^raycrs  and  exhorta- 
tions are  also  made,  early  in  the  morning,  on  week  days. 
Sometimes,  all  this  is  done  by  the  chief  from  horseback;  mov- 
ing fclowly  about  the  camp,  with  his  hat  on,  and  uttering  his 
exhortations  with  a  loud  voice.  On  all  occasions,  the  by- 
Htnnders  hsten  with  profound  attenti(m;  and  at  the  end  of 
every  sentence  respond  one  word  in  unison,  a])parently  e([uiv- 
alent  to  an  amen.  While  these  prayers  and  exlu^vtations  are 
going  on,  every  emi)loyuient  in  the  camp  is  suspended,  li  an 
Indian  is  riding  by  the  place,  he  dismoimts,  liolds  his  horse, 
and  attends  with  reverence  until  all  is  done.  When  the  cliief 
has  finished  his  prayer  or  exhortation,  he  says,  "  I  have  done;" 
upon  which  there  is  a  general  exclamation  in  unison. 

With  these  religious  services,  probably  derived  from  the 
white  men,  the  tribes  above-mentioned  mingle  some  of  their 
old  Indian  ceremonials,  such  as  dancing  to  the  cadence  of  a 
song  or  ballad,  which  is  generally  done  in  a  large  lodge  pro- 
vided for  the  purpose.  Besides  Sundays,  they  likewise  observe 
the  cardinal  holidays  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 

Whoever  has  introduced  these  simple  forms  of  religion 
among  these  poor  savages,  has  evidently  understood  their 
characteis  and  capacities,  and  effected  a  great  melioration  of 
their  manners.  Of  this  we  speak  not  merely  from  the  testi- 
mony of  Captain  Bonneville,  but  likewise  from  that  of  Mr. 
Wyeth,  who  passed  some  months  in  a  travelling  camp  of  the 
Flatheads.  "During  the  time  I  have  been  with  them,"  says  he, 
"I  have  never  known  an  instance  of  the  It  among  them:  the 
least  thing,  even  to  a  bead  or  pin,  is  brought  to  you,  it  found; 
and  often,  things  that  have  been  thrown  away.  JS either 
have  I  known  any  quarrelling,  nor  lying.  This  absence  oi  all 
quarrelling  the  more  surpi-ised  me,  when  I  came  to  see  the 
various  occasions  that  would  have  givini  rise  to  it  among  the 
whites:  the  crowding  together  of  from  twelve  to  eighteen 
hundred  horses,  which  have  to  be  driven  into  camp  at  night, 
to  be  picketed,  to  be  packed  in  the  morning;  the  gathering  of 
fuel  in  places  where  it  is  extremely  scanty.  All  this,  however, 
is  done  without  confusion  or  distui'bance. 

"They  have  a  mild,  playful,  laughing  disposition;  and  this 
IS  portrayed  in  their  countenances.  They  are  polite,  and  un- 
o})trusive.  When  one  speaks,  the  rest  pay  sti-ict  attention: 
when  he  is  done,  another  assents  by  '  yes, '  or  dissents  by  '  no ;' 


1 1 ' 


ih  I 


276 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


and  then  states  his  reasons,  which  nrc  hstencd  to  with  equal 
attention.  Even  the  children  are  more  peaceable  than  any 
other  children.  I  never  heard  an  angry  word  among  them, 
nor  any  quarrelling ;  although  there  were,  at  least,  five  hundred 
of  them  together,  and  continually  at  play.  With  all  this 
quietness  of  spirit,  they  are  brave  when  put  to  the  test ;  and 
are  an  overmatch  for  an  equal  number  of  IJlackfeot." 

The  foregoing  observations,  though  gathered  from  Mr. 
Wyeth  as  relative  to  the  Flatheads,  apply,  in  the  main,  to  the 
Skynses  also.  Captain  Bonneville,  during  his  sojourn  with 
the  latter,  took  constant  occasion,  in  conversing  with  their 
r)rincipal  men,  to  encourage  tliem  in  the  cultivation  of  moral 
and  religious  habits;  drawing  a  comparison  between  their 
peaceable  and  comfortable  course  of  life  and  that  of  other 
tribes,  and  attributing  it  to  tlieir  superior  sense  of  morality 
Jmd  religion.  He  frequently  attended  their  religious  services, 
with  his  people;  always  enjoining  on  the  latter  the  most  rever- 
ential deportment;  and  he  observed  that  the  poor  Indians  were 
always  pleased  to  have  the  white  men  present. 

The  disposition  of  those  tribes  is  evidently  favorable  to  a 
considerable  degree  of  civilization.  A  few  farmers  settled 
among  them  might  lead  them,  Captain  Bonneville  thinks,  to 
till  the  earth  and  cultivate  grain;  the  country  of  the  Skynses 
and  Nez  Perces  is  admirably  adapted  for  the  raising  of  cattle. 
A  Christian  missionary  or  two,  and  some  trifling  assistance 
from  government,  to  protect  them  from  the  predatory  and 
warlike  tribes,  might  lay  the  foundation  of  a  Christian  people 
in  the  midst  of  the  great  western  wilderness,  who  would 
"  wear  the  Americans  near  their  hearts." 

We  must  not  omit  to  observe,  however,  in  qualification  of 
the  sanctity  of  this  Sabbatli  in  the  wilderness,  that  these  tribes 
who  are  all  ardently  addicted  to  gambling  and  horseraciiij-. 
make  Sunday  a  peculiar  day  for  recreations  of  the  land,  no ; 
deeming  them  in  any  wise  out  of  season.  After  prayers  and 
pious  ceremonials  are  over,  there  is  scarce  an  hour  in  the  day, 
says  Captain  Bonneville,  that  you  do  not  see  several  horses 
racing  at  full  speed;  and  in  every  corner  of  the  camp  are 
groups  of  gamblers,  ready  to  stake  everything  u]ion  the  all- 
absorbing  game  of  hand.  The  Indians,  says  Wyeth,  appear  to 
enjoy  their  amu^euKMits  with  more  zest    than   the  whites. 


They  « re  great  gamblers; 
play  bolder  and  bet  higher 
The  cultivation  of  the  i\ 


and  in  proportion  to  their  means, 

than  wliite  mtni. 

'ligious  feeling,  above  noted,  among 


.'I 


ADVEJSTUUES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


277 


the  savages,  has  been  at  times  a  convenient  policy  with  some 
of  the  more  knowing  traders ;  who  liave  derived  great  credit 
and  influence  among  them  by  being  considered  "medicino 
men;"  that  is,  men  gifted  with  mysterious  knowledge.  This 
feeling  is  also  at  times  played  upon  by  religious  charlatans, 
who  are  to  be  found  in  savage  as  well  as  civilized  life.  One  of 
these  was  noted  by  Wyeth,  during  his  sojourn  among  the 
Flatheads.  A  new  great  man,  says  he,  is  rising  in  the  camp, 
who  aims  at  power  and  sway.  He  coVers  his  designs  under 
the  ample  cloak  of  religion;  inculcating  some  now  doctrines 
and  ceremonials  among  those  who  are  more  simple  than  him- 
self. He  has  already  made  proselytes  of  one  fifth  of  the  camp ; 
beginning  by  workii  g  on  the  women,  the  children,  and  the 
weak-minded.  His  ioilovvcrs  are  all  dan;  ing  on  the  plain,  to 
their  own  vocal  nnisic.  The  more  knowing  ones  of  the  tribe 
look  on  and  laugh ;  thinking  it  all  too  foolish  to  do  harm ;  but 
they  will  soon  find  that  women,  children,  and  fools,  form  a 
largo  majority  of  every  community,  and  they  will  have,  event- 
ually, to  follow  the  new  light,  or  be  considered  among  the 
profane.  As  soon  as  a  preacher  or  pseudo  prophet  of  the  kind 
i.,ets  followers  enough,  he  either  takes  commnnd  of  tlie  tribe,  or 
branches  otf  and  sets  up  for  an  independent  chief  and  "  medi- 
cine man." 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 

BCARCITY  IN  THE  CAMP— REFUSAL  OF  SUPPLIES  RY  THE  HUDSON'S 
BAY  COMPANY — CONDUCT  OF  THE  INDIANS— A  HUNCJRY  RETREAT 
—JOHN  day's  RIVER — THE  BLUE  MOUNTAINS—SALMON  FISHING 
ON  SNAKE  RIVER— MESSENGERS  FROM  THE  CROW  COUNTRY- 
BEAR  RIVER  VALLEY— IMMENSE  MIGRATION  OF  BUFFALO  DAN- 
GER  OF  BUFFALO  HUNTING— A  WOUNDED  INDIAN — EUTAW  IN- 
DLVNS— A   "surround"  OF  ANTELOPES. 

Provisions  were  now  growing  scanty  in  the  camp,  and  Cap- 
tain Bonneville  found  it  necessary  to  seek  anew  neighborhood. 
Taking  leave,  therefore,  of  his  friends,  the  Skynses,  he  sot  Oif 
to  the  westward,  and,  crossing  a  low  range  of  mountains,  tm- 
camped  on  the  head-wat(M'S  of  tlie  Ottolais,  Being  now  within 
^lu'rtv  miles  of  Fort  Wallah-Wallah,  th<^  trading  post  of  tlio  Hud- 
iSOn's  bay  Company,  nc  sent  a  srnrui  detachment  of  men  thither 


I   ' 


r 


Mm 


■U;0" 


'i,'     ' 


mi 


278 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  DONNE  VILLI-:. 


to  purchase  com  for  the  subsistence  of  his  party.  The  men  were 
well  received  at  the  fort ;  but  all  supphcs  for  their  camp  were 
peremptorily  refused.  Tempting  offers  were  made  them,  how- 
ever, if  they  would  leave  their  present  en)ploy,  and  enter  into 
the  service  of  the  company ;  but  they  were  not  to  be  seduced. 

When  Captain  Bonneville  saw  his  messengers  return  emi)ty- 
handed,  he  ordered  an  instant  move,  for  there  was  imminent 
danger  of  famine.  He  puslied  forward  down  the  course  of  the 
Ottolais,  which  runs  diagonal  to  the  Columbia,  and  falls  into  it 
about  fifty  miles  below  the  Wallah- Wallah,  His  route  lay 
through  a  beautiful  undulating  coimtry,  covered  with  horses 
belonging  to  the  Skynses,  who  sent  them  there  for  pasturage. 

On  reaching  the  Columbia,  Captain  Bonneville  hoped  to  open 
a  trade  with  the  natives,  for  fish  and  other  provisions,  but  to 
his  surprise  they  kept  aloof,  and  even  hid  themselves  on  his 
approach.  He  soon  discovered  that  they  were  under  tlie  influ- 
ence of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  who  had  forbidden  thojn 
to  trade,  or  hold  any  communion  with  him.  He  proceeded 
along  the  Columbia,  but  it  was  everywhere  the  same ;  not  an 
article  of  provisions  was  to  be  obtained  from  the  natives,  and 
he  was  at  length  obliged  to  kill  a  couple  of  his  horses  to  sustain 
his  famishing  people.  He  now  came  to  a  halt,  and  consulted 
what  was  to  be  done.  The  broad  and  beautif  id  Columbia  lay 
before  them,  smooth  and  unruffled  as  a  mirror ;  a  little  more 
journeying  would  take  them  to  its  lower  region ;  to  the  noble 
valley  of  the  Wallamut,  their  projected  winter  quarters.  To 
advance  under  present  circumstances  would  bo  to  court  starva- 
tion. The  resources  of  the  country  were  locked  against  them, 
by  the  influence  of  a  jealous  and  powerful  monopoly.  If  they 
reached  the  Wallamut,  they  could  scarcely  hope  to  obtain  suf- 
ficient supplies  for  the  winter ;  if  they  lingered  any  longer  in 
the  country  the  snows  would  gather  upon  the  mountains  and 
cut  off  their  retreat.  By  hastening  their  return,  they  would  be 
able  to  reach  the  Blue  Mountains  just  in  time  to  find  the  elk, 
the  deer,  and  the  bighorn;  and  after  they  had  supplied  them- 
selves with  provisions,  they  might  pusli  through  the  mountains 
before  they  were  entirely  blocked  up  by  snow.  Influenced  by 
these  considerations,  Captain  Bonneville  reluctantly  turned  his 
back  a  second  time  on  the  Columbia,  and  set  off  for  the  Blue 
Mountains.  He  took  his  course  up  Jolin  Day's  River,  so  called 
from  one  of  the  hunters  in  the  original  Astorian  enterjirise. 
As  famine  was  at  his  heels,  he  travelled  fast,  and  reached  the 
mountains  by  the  1st  of  October.    He  entered  by  the  opening 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


279 


made  by  John  Day's  River;  it  was  a  rugged  and  difficult  defile, 
but  he  and  his  men  had  beconu>  aceurttonied  to  hard  scrambles  of 
the  kind.  Fortunately,  the  September  rains  had  extinguished 
the  fires  which  recently  spread  over  these  regions;  and  tlie 
mountains,  no  longer  wrapi)ed  in  smoke,  now  revealed  all  their 
g^'andeur  and  sublindty  to  the  eye. 

They  were  disappointed  in  th(}ir  expectation  of  finding  abun- 
dant game  in  the  mountains ;  large  bands  of  the  natives  had 
passed  through,  returning  from  their  fishing  expeditions,  and 
had  driven  all  the  game  before  them.  It  was  only  now  and  then 
that  the  hunters  could  bring  in  sufficient  to  keep  the  party 
from  starvation. 

To  add  to  their  distress,  they  mistook  their  route,  and  wan- 
dered for  ten  days  among  high  and  bald  hills  of  clay.  At 
length,  after  nuich  perplexity,  tliey  made  their  way  to  tho 
banks  of  Snake  River,  following  the  course  of  which,  they  were 
sure  to  reach  their  place  of  destination. 

It  was  the  2()th  of  October  when  they  found  themselves  once 
more  upon  this  noted  stream.  The  Shoshokoes,  whom  they 
had  met  with  in  such  scanty  numbers  on  their  journey  down 
the  river,  now  absolutely  thronged  its  banks  to  profit  by  the 
abundan(;e  of  salmon,  and  lay  up  a  stock  for  winter  provisions. 
Scaffolds  were  everywhere  erected,  and  immense  quantities  of 
fish  drying  upon  them.  At  this  season  of  tho  year,  however, 
the  salmon  are  extremely  poor,  and  the  travellers  needed  their 
keen  sauce  of  hunger  to  give  them  a  relish. 

In  some  places  the  shores  were  conipletely  covered  with  a 
stratum  of  dead  salmon,  exhausted  in  ascending  the  rivej,  or 
destroyed  at  the  falls;  the  fetid  odor  of  which  tainted  the 
air. 

It  was  not  until  the  travellers  reached  the  head-waters  of  the 
Portneuf  that  they  really  found  themselves  in  a  region  ot 
abundance.  Here  the  buffalo  were  in  immense  herds ;  and  here 
they  remained  for  three  days,  slaying  and  cooking,  and  feast- 
ing, and  indemnifying  themselv(^s  by  an  enormous  carnival, 
for  a  long  and  hungry  Lent.  Their  horses,  too,  found  good 
pasturage,  and  enjoyed  a  little  rest  after  a  severe  spell  of  hard 
travelling. 

During  this  period,  two  horsemen  arrived  at  the  camp,  who 
proved  to  be  messengers  sent  express  for  supplies  from  Mon- 
tero's  party;  which  had  been  sent  to  beat  up  the  Crow  country 
and  the  Black  Hills,  an<l  to  winter  on  the  Arkansas.  They  re- 
ported that  all  was  well  with  the  party,  but  that  they  had  not 


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280        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


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beon  able  to  accomplish  the  whole  of  their  mission,  and  were 
still  in  the  Crow  country,  where  they  should  remain  until 
joined  by  Captain  Bonneville  in  the  spring.  The  captain  re- 
tained the  messengers  with  him  until  the  17th  of  November, 
when,  having  reached  the  caches  on  Bear  River,  and  procuied 
thence  the  rec^uired  supphes,  he  sent  them  back  to  their  party ; 
appointing  a  rendezvous  toward  the  last  of  June  following,  on 
the  forks  of  Wind  River  valley,  in  the  Crow  country. 

He  now  remained  several  days  encamped  near  the  caches, 
and  having  discovered  a  small  band  of  Shoshonies  in  his  neigh- 
borhood, purchased  from  them  lodges,  furs,  and  other  articles 
of  winter  comfort,  and  arranged  with  them  to  encamp  together 
during  the  winter. 

The  place  designed  by  the  captain  for  the  wintering  ground 
was  on  the  upper  part  of  Bear  River,  some  distance  otf .  He 
delayed  approaching  it  as  long  as  possible,  in  order  to  avoid 
driving  off  the  buffalo,  which  would  be  needed  for  winter  pro- 
visions. He  accordingly  moved  forward  but  slowly,  merely  as 
the  want  of  game  and  grass  obliged  him  to  shift  his  position. 
The  weather  had  ah'eady  become  extremely  cold,  and  the  snow 
lay  to  a  considerable  depth.  To  enable  the  horses  to  carry  as 
much  dried  meat  as  possible,  ho  caused  a  cache  to  be  made,  in 
which  all  the  baggage  that  could  be  spared  was  deposited. 
This  done,  the  party  continued  to  move  slowly  toward  their 
winter  quarters. 

xhey  were  not  doomed,  however,  to  suffer  from  scarcity 
during  the  present  winter.  The  people  upon  Snake  River 
having  chased  off  the  buffalo  before  the  snow  had  become 
deep,  immense  herds  now  came  trooping  over  the  mountains ; 
forming  dark  masses  on  their  sides,  from  which  their  deep- 
mouthed  bellowing  sounded  like  the  low  peals  and  mutterings 
from  a  gathering  thunder-cloud.  In  effect,  the  cloud  broke, 
and  do^vn  came  the  torrent  thundering  into  the  valley.  It  is 
utterly  impossible,  according  to  Captain  Bonneville,  to  convey 
an  idea  of  the  effect  produced  by  the  sight  of  such  countless 
throngs  of  animals  of  such  bulk  and  spirit,  all  rushing  forward 
as  if  swept  on  by  a  whirlwind. 

The  long  privation  which  the  travellers  had  suffered  gave 
uncommon  ardor  to  their  present  hunting.  One  of  the  Indians 
attached  to  the  party,  finding  himself  on  horseback  in  the 
midst  of  the  buffploes,  without  either  rifle,  or  bow  and  arrows, 
dashed  after  a  fine  cow  that  was  passing  close  by  him,  and 
plunged  his  knife  into  her  side  with  such  lucky  aim  as  to  bring 


Ai)Vi:y:TUiii:s  of  captaix  bonnkvillk. 


281 


her  to  the  p:round.  It  was  a  daring  deed;  but  hunger  had 
made  him  ahnost  desperate. 

The  buffaloes  are  sometiraies  tenacious  of  hfe,  and  must  bo 
wounded  in  particular  parts.  A  ball  striking  the  shagged 
frontlet  of  a  bull  jjroduces  no  other  effect  than  a  toss  of  tlio 
head  and  greater  exasperation;  on  the  contraiy,  a  ball  strik- 
ing tlie  forehead  of  a  cow  is  fatal.  Heveral  inst;mces  occurred 
during  this  grejit  hunting  bout,  of  bulls  fighting  furiously  after 
having  received  mortal  wounds.  Wyeth,  also,  was  witness  to 
an  instance  of  the  kin<i  while  encamped  witli  Indians.  Dur- 
ing a  grand  hunt  of  tliC  buffalo,  one  of  the  Indians  pressed  a 
buU  so  closely  thiit  the  animal  turned  suddenly  on  him.  His 
hoi-se  stopped  slioi*t,  or  started  back,  and  threw  him.  Before 
he  could  rise  the  bull  rushed  fiu'iously  upon  him,  and  gtjred 
hun  in  the  chest  so  that  his  breath  came  out  at  the  aperture. 
He  was  conveyed  back  to  the  camp,  and  his  wound  was 
dressed.  Giving  himself  up  for  slain,  he  called  round  him 
liis  friends,  and  made  bis  will  by  word  of  mouth.  It  was 
something  like  a  death  chant,  and  at  the  end  of  eveiy  sen- 
tence those  around  responded  in  concord.  He  appeared  no 
ways  intimid;\ted  by  tlie  a])proach  of  death.  "  I  tliink,"  adds 
Wyeth,  "the  Indians  die  better  than  the  white  men;  perhaps, 
from  having  less  fear  about  the  future." 

Tlie  buffalo  may  be  approached  very  near,  if  the  h\mter 
keepM  to  the  leeward;  but  they  are  quick  of  scent,  tind  will 
take  the  alarm  and  move  off  from  a  party  of  hunters  to  the 
windward,  even  when  two  miles  distant. 

The  vast  herds  which  had  poured  down  into  the  Bear  River 
valley  wore  now  snow-bound,  and  remained  in  the  n(nghbor- 
hood  of  the  camp  throughout  the  winter.  This  furnished  the 
trappers  and  their  Indian  friends  a  ]>erpetual  carnival ;  so 
that,  to  slay  and  eat  seemed  to  be  the  main  occupations  of 
the  day.  It  is  astonishing  what  loads  of  meat  it  requires  to 
cope  with  the  ap]>etile  of  a  hunting  camp. 

The  ravens  and  wolves  sorm  came  in  for  their  share  of  the 
good  cheer.  ThcRe  constant  attendants  of  the  hunter  gathered 
in  vast  numbers  a-«  the  winter  advanced.  They  might  be  com- 
pletely out  of  sight  but  at  the  report  of  a  gim,  flights  of  ravens 
would  immediately  be  seen  hovering  in  the  air,  no  one  knew 
whence  they  came;  while  the  sharp  visages  of  the  wolves 
w^ouM  pec^p  down  from  the  brow  of  every  hill,  waiting  for  the 
hunter's  (h^jiarture  to  iiounce  \\\Mm  \\\o  carcass. 

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282        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 

in  the  valley,  whose  presence  did  not  promise  to  be  so  advan- 
tageous. This  was  a  band  of  Eutaw  Indians  who  were  en- 
camped higher  up  on  the  river.  They  are  a  poor  tribe  that,  in 
a  scale  of  the  variotis  tribes  inhabiting  these  regions,  would 
rank  between  the  Shoshonies  and  the  Shoshokoos  or  Root  Dig- 
gers; though  more  bold  and  warlike  than  the  latter.  They 
have  but  few  rifles  among  them,  and  are  generally  armed  with 
bows  and  arrows. 

As  this  band  and  the  Shoshonies  were  at  deadly  feud,  on  ac- 
count of  old  grievances,  and  as  neither  party  stood  in  awe  of 
the  other,  it  was  feared  some  bloody  scenes  might  ensue.  Cap- 
tain Bonneville,  therefore,  undertook  the  office  of  pacificator, 
and  sent  to  the  Eutaw  chiefs,  inviting  them  to  a  friendly 
smoke,  in  order  to  bring  about  a  reconciliation.  His  invita- 
tion was  proudly  declined ;  whereupon  he  went  to  them  in  per- 
son, and  succeeded  in  effecting  a  suspension  of  hostilities  until 
the  chiefs  of  the  two  tribes  could  meet  in  council.  The  braves 
of  the  two  rival  camps  sullenly  acquiesced  in  the  arrangement. 
They  would  take  their  seats  upon  the  hill  tops,  and  watch  their 
quondam  enemies  hunting  the  buffalo  in  the  plain  below,  and 
evidently  repine  that  their  hands  were  tied  up  from  a  skir- 
mish. The  worthy  captain  however,  succeeded  in  carrying 
through  his  benevolent  mediation.  The  chiefs  met;  the  amica- 
ble pipe  was  smoked,  the  hatchet  buried,  and  peace  formally 
proclaimed.  After  this,  both  camps  united  and  mingled  in 
social  intercourse.  Private  quarj-els,  however,  would  occa- 
sionally occur  in  hunting,  about  the  division  of  the  game,  and 
blows  would  sometimes  be  exchanged  over  the  carcass  of  a 
buffalo ;  but  the  chiefs  wisely  took  no  notice  of  these  individual 
brawls. 

One  day  the  scouts,  who  had  been  ranging  the  hills,  brought 
news  of  several  large  herds  of  antelopes  in  a  small  valley  at  no 
groat  distance.  This  produced  a  sensation  among  the  Indians, 
for  both  tribes  were  in  ragged  condition,  and  sadly  in  want  of 
those  shirts  made  of  the  skin  of  the  antelope.  It  was  deter- 
mined to  have  "a  surround,"  as  the  mode  of  hunting  that  ani 
mal  is  called.  Everything  now  assumed  an  air  of  mystic  so- 
lemnity and  importance.  The  chiefs  prepared  their  medicines 
or  charms  each  according  to  his  own  method,  or  fancied  inspi- 
ration, generally  with  the  compound  of  certain  simples ;  othei-s 
consulted  the  entrails  of  animals  which  they  had  sacrificed, 
an  1  thence  drew  favorable  auguries.  After  much  grave  smok- 
in^  and  deliberating  it  was  at  length  proclaimed  that  all  who 


ADVENTUliKS  OF  CAVTAUS  noyJSKVILLE. 


283 


were  able  to  lift  a  club,  man,  woman,  or  child,  should  muster 
for  "the  surround."  When  all  luid  congregnttd,  they  moved 
in  rude  procession  to  the  nearest  point  of  llio  valley  in  question, 
and  there  halted.  Another  course  of  smoking  and  diOiberating, 
of  which  the  Indians  are  so  fond,  took  plare  among  the  chiefs. 
Directions  were  then  issued  for  the  horsemen  to  make  a  circuit 
of  about  seven  miles,  so  as  to  encomi>ass  the  herd.  When  this 
was  done,  the  whole  mounted  force  dashed  olf  simultaneously, 
at  full  speed,  shouting  and  yelling  at  the  top  of  their  voices. 
In  a  short  space  of  time  the  antelopes,  started  from  their 
hiding-places,  came  bounding  from  all  points  into  the  valley. 
The  ridel's,  now  gi'adually  contracting  their  circle,  brought 
them  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  spot  where  the  senior  chief,  sur- 
rounded by  the  elders,  male  and  female,  were  seated  in  sui^er- 
vis.  a  of  the  chase.  The  antelopes,  nearly  exhausted  with 
fatigue  and  fright,  and  bewildered  by  perpetual  whooping, 
made  no  effort  to  break  through  the  ring  of  the  hunters,  but 
ran  round  in  small  circles,  until  man,  woman,  and  child  beat 
them  down  with  bludgeons.  Such  is  the  nature  of  that  species 
of  antelope  hunting,  technically  called  "a  surround." 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

A  FESTIVE  WINTER— CONVERSION  OP  THE  SHOSHrfflES —VISIT  OP 
TWO  FREE  TRAl'PERS-GAYETY  IN  THE  CAMP-  A  TOUCH  OF 
THE  TENDER  PASSION — THE  RECLAIMED  SQUAW  -AN  INDIAN  FINE 
LADY— AN  ELOPEMENT — A  PURSUIT— MARKET  VALUE  OF  A  BAD 
WIFE. 

Game  continued  to  abound  throughout  the  winter,  and  the 
camp  was  ovei*stocked  with  provisions.  Beef  and  venison, 
humps  and  haunches,  buffalo  tongues  and  marro w-lx »nes,  wire 
constantly  cooking  at  every  fire ;  and  the  whole  atmosphere 
was  redolent  witli  the  savory  fumes  of  roast  meat.  It  was,  in- 
deed, a  continual  "feast  (jf  fat  things,"  and  though  there  might 
be  a  lack  of  "wine  upon  the  lees,"  yet  we  have  shown  that  a 
substitute  was  occasionally  to  be  found  in  lioncy  and  alcohol. 

Both  the  Shoslionies  and  the  Eutnws  conducted  themselves 
with  great  propriety.  It  is  true,  they  now  nnd  then  filched  a 
few  trifles  from  their  good  friends,  tlie  Big  Hearts,  when  their 


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284        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


\Vt\ 


backs  were  turned;  but  then,  they  always  treated  them  to 
their  faces  with  the  utmost  deference  and  respect,  and  good* 
humoredly  vied  with  the  trappeis  in  all  kinds  of  feats  of  activ- 
ity and  mirthful  sports.  The  two  tribes  maintained  toward 
each  other,  also,  a  friendliness  of  aspect  which  gave  Captain 
Bonneville  reason  to  hope  that  all  past  animosity  was  effectu- 
ally buried. 

The  two  rival  bands,  however,  had  not  long  been  mingled  in 
this  social  manner,  before  their  ancient  jealousy  began  to 
break  out  in  a  new  form.  The  senior  chief  of  the  Shoshonies 
was  a  thinking  man,  and  a  man  of  observation.  He  had  been 
among  the  Nez  Perces,  listened  to  their  new  code  of  morality 
and  religion,  received  from  the  Avhite  men,  and  attended  their 
devotional  exercises.  He  had  observed  the  effect  of  all  this,  in 
elevating  the  tribe  in  the  estimation  of  the  white  men ;  and 
determined,  by  the  same  means,  to  gain  for  his  own  tribe  a 
superiority  over  their  ignorant  rivals,  the  Eutaws.  He  accord- 
ingly assembled  his  people,  and  promulgated  among  them  the 
mongrel  doctrines  and  form  of  worship  of  the  Nez  Perces; 
recommending  the  same  to  their  adoi)tion.  The  Shoghonies 
were  struck  with  the  novelty,  at  least,  of  the  measure,  and 
entered  into  it  with  spirit.  They  began  to  observe  Sundays 
and  holidays,  and  to  have  their  devotional  dances,  and  chants, 
and  other  ceremonials,  about  which  the  ignorant  Eutaws  knew 
nothing;  while  they  exerted  their  usual  competition  in  shoot- 
ing and  horseracing,  and  the  renowned  game  of  hand. 

Matters  were  going  on  thus  pleasantly  and  prosperously,  in 
this  motley  community  of  white  and  red  men,  when,  one 
morning,  two  stark  free  trappers,  arrayed  in  the  height  of  sav- 
age finery,  and  mounted  0!i  steeds  as  fine  and  as  fiery  as  them- 
selvi  s,  and  all  jingling  with  hawks'  bells,  came  galloping,  with 
whoop  and  halloo,  into  the  camp. 

They  were  fresh  from  the  winter  encampment  of  the  Ameri- 
can Fur  Company,  in  the  Green  River  vaUey ;  and  had  come 
to  pay  their  old  comrades  of  Captain  Bonneville's  company  a 
visit.  An  idea  may  be  formed  from  the  scenes  we  have  already 
given  of  conviviality  in  the  wilderness,  of  the  manner  in  which 
these  game  birds  were  received  by  those  of  their  feather  in  the 
camp;  what  feasting,  what  revelling,  what  boasting,  what 
bragging,  what  ranting  and  roaring,  and  racing  and  gambling, 
and  s(i[iiabbling  ard  fighting,  oiisiiod  among  these  boon  com- 
pariii^ns.  C^aptain  Bonncnillo,  it  is  true,  maintained  always  a 
certain  degree  of  la.v  and  order  in  his  camp,  ana  checked  each 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


285 


fierce  excess;  but  the  trappers,  in  their  seasons  of  idleness  and 
relaxation  require  a  degree  of  license  and  indulgence,  to  repay 
them  for  the  long  privations  and  almost  incredible  hardshijjs  of 
their  periods  of  active  service. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this  feasting  and  frolicking,  a  freak  of  the 
tender  passion  inter\'encd,  and  wrought  a  complete  change  in 
the  scene.  Among  the  Indian  beauties  in  the  camp  of  the 
Eutavvs  and  Shoshonies,  the  free  trappei's  discovered  two,  who 
had  whilom  figured  as  their  squaws.  These  connecticjns  fre- 
quently take;  place  for  a  season,  and  sometimes  continue  for 
years,  if  not  perpetually ;  but  are  apt  to  be  broken  when  the 
free  trapper  starts  otf,  suddenly,  on  some  distant  and  rough 
expedition. 

In  the  present  instance,  these  wild  blades  were  anxious  to 
regain  their  belles ;  nor  wc>re  the  latter  loath  once  more  to  como 
under  their  protection.  The  free  trapper  ct)mbines,  in  the  eye 
of  an  Indian  girl,  all  that  is  dashing  and  heroic  in  a  warrior  of 
her  own  race— whose  gait,  and  garb,  and  bravery  he  emulates 
—with  all  that  is  gallant  and  glorious  in  the  white  man.  And 
then  the  indulgence  with  which  ho  treats  her,  the  finery  in 
which  h(»  decks  her  out,  the  state  in  which  she  moves,  the  sway 
she  enjoys  over  both  his  purse  and  person;  instead  of  being 
the  drudge  and  slave  of  an  Indian  husband,  obliged  to  carry 
his  pack,  and  build  liis  lodge,  and  make  his  fire,  and  bear  his 
cross  humors  and  dry  blows.  No;  there  is  no  comparison  in 
the  eyes  of  an  aspiring  belle  of  the  wilderness,  between  a  free 
trapper  and  an  Indian  brave. 

With  respect  to  one  of  the  parties  the  matter  was  easily  ar- 
ranged. The  beauty  in  questi(jn  was  a  pert  little  Eutaw  wench, 
that  had  been  taken  prisoner,  in  some  war  excursion,  by  a 
Shoshonie.  She  was  readily  ransomed  ft)r  a  few  articles  of 
trifling  value ;  and  forth  A'ith  figured  about  the  cam])  in  fine 
array,  "  with  rings  on  her  fingers,  and  bells  on  hev  toes,"  and 
a  tossed-up  cociuettish  air  that  made  her  the  envy,  admiration, 
and  abhorrence  of  all  the  leathern-dressed,  hard-working 
8(iuaws  of  her  acquaintance. 

As  to  the  other  beauty,  it  wns  quite  a  different  matter.  She 
had  become  the  wife  of  a  Shoshonie  bravo.  It  is  tnie,  Ih^  had 
another  wife,  ol"  older  date  than  the  one;  in  (juostion;  wlio, 
therefore,  took  comniand  in  his  household,  and  treat<'d  his  new 
spouse  as  a  slave;  but  thci  latter  was  the  wife  of  his  last  fancy, 
his  latest  caprice;  and  was  precious  in  his  eyes.  All  attempt 
to  bargain  with  him,  therefore,  was  useless ;  the  veiy  proposi- 


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km 


^SG 


ADVKNrURKS  OF  CAPTAIN  noyNKVll.LK 


tion  was  repulsed  with  anger  and  disdain.  The  si)irit  of  tho 
trapper  was  roused,  his  pride  was  piqued  as  well  as  his  passion. 
He  endeavored  to  prevail  upon  liis  (luondam  mistress  to  elopo 
witli  him.  His  horees  were  fleet,  the  winter  nights  were  long 
and  dark,  before  daylight  they  would  bo  beyond  the  reaeh  of 
piir.niit;  and  once  at  tho  encampment  in  Green  River  valley, 
tliey  might  set  the  whole  band  of  Shoshonios  at  defiance. 

The  Indian  girl  listened  and  longed.  Her  heart  yearned 
after  the  ejise  and  splendor  of  condition  of  a  trapper's  bride, 
and  throbbed  to  be  freed  from  the  capricious  control  of  the 
premier  sijuaw;  but  she  dreaded  the  failure  of  the  plan,  and 
Wie  fury  of  a  Shoshonie  husband.  They  parted;  the  Indian 
girl  in  tears,  and  the  madcap  trapper  more  mad  than  ever, 
with  his  thwarted  passion. 

Their  interviews  had,  probably,  been  detected,  and  the  jeal 
ousy  of  the  Shoshonie  brave  aroused :  a  clamor  of  angi-y  voices 
was  heard  in  his  lodge,  with  the  sound  of  blows,  and  of  female 
weeping  and  lamenting.  At  night,  as  the  trapper  lay  tossing 
on  his  pallet,  a  soft  voice  whispered  at  the  door  of  bis  lodge. 
His  mistress  stood  trembling  before  him.  She  was  ready  to 
follow  whithersoever  he  should  lead. 

In  an  instant  he  was  up  and  out.  He  had  two  prime  horses, 
sure  and  swift  of  foot,  and  of  great  wind.  With  stealthy  quiet, 
they  were  brought  up  and  saddled ;  and  in  a  few  moments  he 
and  his  prize  were  careering  over  the  snow,  with  which  the 
whole  country  was  covered.  In  the  eagerness  of  escape,  they 
had  made  no  provision  for  their  journey;  days  must  elapse  be- 
fore they  could  reach  their  haven  of  safety,  and  mountains 
and  prairies  be  traversed,  wrapped  in  nil  the  desolation  of 
winter.  For  the  present,  however,  they  thought  of  nothing 
but  flight;  urging  their  horses  forward  over  the  dreary  wastes, 
and  fancying,  in  the  howling  of  every  blast,  they  heard  tho 
yell  of  the  pursuer. 

At  early  dawn,  the  Shoshonie  became  aware  of  his  loss. 
Mounting  his  swiftest  horse,  he  set  oiT  in  hot  pursuit.  Ho  soon 
found  the  trail  of  the  fugitives,  and  spurred  on  in  hopes  of 
overtaking  them.  The  winds,  however,  which  swept  the  val- 
ley, had  drifted  the  light  snow  into  t'lie  prints  made  by  the 
horses'  hoofs.  In  a  little  while  he  lost  all  trace  of  them,  and 
was  completely  thrown  out  of  the  chase.  He  knew,  however, 
the  situation  of  the  camp  toward  which  they  were  bound,  and 
a  direct  course  through  the  mountains,  by  which  ho  might 
arrive  there  sooner  than  the  fugitives.     Through  the  most 


ADVKSTUllES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


287 


nipged  defiles,  therefore,  he  urged  his  course  by  day  and  night, 
scarce  pausing  until  he  reached  the  camp.  It  was  some  time 
before  the  fugitives  made  tlieir  a])pearance.  Six  days  had 
thoy  been  traversing  the  wintry  wilds.  They  came,  haggard 
'.villi  hunger  and  fatigue,  and  their  hoi-ses  faltering  under  them. 
The  first  object  that  nu;t  their  eyes  on  entering  the  camp  was 
the  Shoslionie  brave.  He  rushed,  knife  in  hand,  to  plunge  it 
in  the  heart  that  had  proved  false  to  him.  The  trapper  threw 
himself  before  the  cowering  form  of  his  mistress,  and,  exhaust- 
ed as  he  was,  prc'i)ared  for  a  deadly  struggle.  The  Shoshonio 
paused.  His  habitual  awe  of  the  wliite  man  checked  his  arm; 
the  trapper's  friends  crowded  to  the  spot,  and  arrested  bins. 
A  parley  ensued.  A  kind  of  crim.  con.  adjudication  took  place; 
such  as  frequently  occurs  in  civilized  life.  A  couple  of  horees 
were  declared  to  be  a  fair  compensation  for  the  loss  of  a  woman 
who  had  previously  lost  her  heart ;  with  this,  the  Shoshonie 
brave  was  fain  to  pacify  his  passion.  He  returned  to  Captain 
Bonnevilb's  camp,  somewhat  crestfallen,  it  is  true;  but  parried 
the  officious  cond elements  of  his  friends  by  observing  that  two 
good  hoi*ses  were  very  good  pay  for  one  bad  wife. 


CHAPTER  XLVHI. 

BREAKING  UP  OP  WINTER  QUARTERS  -MOVE  TO  GREEN  RIVER— 
A  TRAPPER  AND  HIS  RIFLE — AN  ARRIVAL  IN  CAMP —A  FREE 
TRAPPER  AND  HIS  SQUAW  IN  DISTRESS— STORY  OF  A  BLACK- 
FOOT  BELLE. 

The  winter  was  now  breaking  up.  the  snows  were  melted 
from  the  hills,  and  from  the  lower  parts  of  the  mountains,  and 
the  time  for  decamping  had  arrived.  Captain  Bonneville  dis- 
patched a  i»arty  to  the  caches,  who  brought  away  all  th(i  effects 
concealed  there,  and  on  the  1st  of  April  (l.s;]5),  the  camp  was 
broken  up,  and  every  one  on  the  move.  The  white  men  and 
their  allies,  the  Eutaws  and  Shoshonies,  parted  with  many  re- 
grets and  sincere  expressiftns  of  good-wil' ;  for  their  inter- 
course throughout  the  winter  had  been  of  the  most  friendly 
kind. 

Cai)tain  Bonneville  and  his  party  passed  by  Ham's  Fork, 
and  reached  the  Colorado,  or  Green  River,  without  accident, 


1^^ 

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288 


ADYKNTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


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on  the  banks  of  which  they  remained  during  the  residue  of  the 
spring.  During  tiiis  time,  they  were  conscious  that  a  band  of 
hostile  Indians  were  hovering  about  their  vicinity,  watching 
for  an  opportunity  to  slay  or  steal ;  but  the  vigilant  precau- 
tions of  Captain  Bonneville  baffled  all  their  manojuvres.  In 
such  dangerous  times,  the  experienced  mountaineer  is  never 
without  his  rifle  even  in  camp.  On  going  from  lodge  to  lo<lge 
to  visit  liis  comrades,  he  takes  it  with  him.  On  seating  him- 
self in  a  lodge,  he  lays  it  beside  him,  ready  to  be  snatched  up ; 
when  he  goes  out,  he  takes  it  up  as  regularly  as  a  citizen  would 
his  walking-staff.     His  rifle  is  his  constant  friend  and  protector. 

On  the  10th  of  June,  the  party  were  a  little  to  the  east  of 
the  Wind  lliver  Mountains,  where  they  halted  for  a  time  in 
ex'jellent  pasturage,  to  give  their  ln^rees  a  chance  to  recruit 
their  strength  for  a  long  joinney ;  for  it  was  Captain  Bonne- 
ville's int^ention  to  shape  his  course  to  the  settlements ;  having 
already  been  detained  by  the  complication  of  liis  duties,  and  by 
various  losses  and  impediments,  lur  beyond  the  time  specified 
in  his  leave  of  absence. 

While  the  party  was  thus  reposing  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  Wi  '  iver  Mountains,  a  solitary  free  trapper  rode  one 
day  into  camp,  and  accosted  Captain  Bonneville.  He  be- 
longed, he  said,  to  a  party  of  thirty  huntere,  who  had  just 
passed  through  the  neighborhood,  but  whom  he  had  aban- 
doned in  cons(Miuence  of  their  ill  treatment  of  a  brotlier 
trappoi';  whom  they  had  cast  off  from  their  party,  and  left 
with  his  bag  and  baggage,  and  an  Indian  wife  into  the 
bargain,  in  the  midst  of  a  desolate  prairie.  The  horseman 
gave  a  piteous  account  of  the  situation  of  this  helpless  pair, 
and  solicited  the  loan  of  hoiipes  to  bring  them  and  their  effects 
to  the  camp. 

The  captain  was  not  a  man  to  refuse  assistance  to  any  one 
in  distress,  especially  when  there  was  a  woman  in  the  ciLse ; 
horses  were  immediately  dispatched,  with  an  escort,  to  aid  the 
unfortunate  couple.  The  next  day  they  made  their  appear- 
ance with  all  their  effects ;  the  man,  a  stalwart  mountaineer, 
with  a  peculiarly  game  look;  the  woman,  a  young  Blackfoot 
beauty,  arrayed  in  the  trappings  and  trinketry  of  a  free 
trapper's  bride. 

Finding  the  woman  to  be  quick-witted  and  conimunicative. 
Captain  Bonneville  entered  into  convei'sation  with  her,  and 
obtained  fi-om  her  many  particulars  (Concerning  tlie  habits  and 
customs  of  her  tribe;   espociiilly   their   wars  and  huntings. 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


289 


They  pride  themselves  upon  being  the  "best  legs  of  the 
mountains,"  and  hunt  tho  buffalo  on  foot.  This  is  done  in 
spring  time,  when  the  fi-osts  have  thawed  and  the  gi'ound  is 
soft.  The  heavy  buffalo  then  sink  over  their  hoofs  at  every 
step,  and  are  easily  overtaken  by  the  Blackfeet,  whose  fleet 
steps  press  lightly  on  the  surface.  It  is  said,  however,  that 
the  buffalo  on  the  Pacific  side  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  are 
fleeter  and  more  active  than  on  the  Atlantic  side;  those  upon 
the  plains  of  the  Columbia  can  scarcely  be  oveitakon  by  a 
horse  that  would  outstrip  the  same  animal  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  Platte,  the  usual  hunting  ground  of  tho  Blackfeet. 
In  the  course  of  further  conversation,  Captain  Bonneville 
drew  from  the  Indian  woman  her  whole  story ;  which  gave  a 
pictuie  of  savage  life,  and  of  the  drudgery  and  hardships  to 
which  an  Indian  wife  is  subject. 

"  I  was  the  wife,"  said  she,  "of  a  Blackfoot  warrior,  and  I 
served  him  faithfully.  Who  was  so  well  sei*\^ed  as  he? 
Whose  lodge  was  so  well  provided,  or  kept  so  clean?  I 
brought  wood  in  the  morning,  and  placed  water  always  at 
hand.  I  watched  for  his  coming;  and  he  found  his  meat 
cooked  and  ready.  If  he  rose  to  go  forth,  there  was  nothing 
to  delay  him.  I  searched  the  thought  that  was  in  his  heart, 
to  save  him  the  trouble  of  speaking.  When  I  went  abroad  on 
errands  for  him,  the  chiefs  and  warriors  smiled  upon  me,  and 
the  young  braves  spoke  soft  things,  in  secret ;  but  my  feet  were 
in  the  straight  path,  and  ray  eyes  could  see  nothing  but  him. 

"When  he  went  out  to  hunt,  or  to  war,  who  aided  to  equip 
him,  but  I?  When  he  returned,  I  met  him  at  the  door;  I  took 
his  gun;  and  he  entered  without  further  thought.  While  he 
sat  and  smoked,  I  unloaded  his  horses;  tied  them  to  the 
stakes,  brought  in  their  loads,  and  was  quickly  at  his  feet.  If 
his  moccasins  were  wet  I  took  them  off  and  put  on  otliers 
which  were  dry  and  warm.  I  dressed  all  the  skins  he  had 
taken  in  the  chase.  He  could  never  say  to  me,  why  is  it  not 
done?  He  hunted  the  deer,  the  antelope,  and  the  buffalo,  and 
he  watched  for  the  enemy.  Everything  else  was  done  by  me. 
When  our  people  moved  their  camp,  he  mounted  his  horse 
and  rode  away ;  free  as  though  ho  had  fallen  from  the  skies. 
He  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  labor  of  the  camp ;  it  was  I 
that  packed  the  horses  and  led  them  on  the  journey.  When 
we  halted  in  the  evening,  and  he  sat  v/ith  the  other  braves  and 
smoked,  it  was  I  that  pitched  his  lodge ;  and  when  ho  came  to 
«at  and  sleep,  his  supper  and  his  bed  were  ready. 


M: 


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IrV  i 

It  r-  n  -  I 


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290         ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 

"I  Bervsd  him  faithfully;  and  what  was  my  reward?  A 
•cloud  was  always  on  his  broAv,  and  shaup  lightning  on  his 
tongue.    I  was  his  dog;  and  not  his  wife. 

"Who was  it  that  scarred  and  bruised  me?  It  was  he.  My 
brother  saw  how  I  was  treated.  His  heart  was  big  for  mo. 
He  begged  me  to  leave  my  tyrant  and  fly.  Where  could  I  go? 
If  retaken,  who  would  protect  me?  My  brother  was  not  a 
chief;  he  could  not  save  me  from  lilows  and  wounds,  perhai)s 
deatli.  At  length  I  was  persuaded.  I  fcjUowed  my  brother 
from  the  village.  He  pointed  away  to  the  Ncz  Perces,  and  bade 
me  go  and  live  in  peace  among  them.  We  parted.  On  the  third 
day  I  saw  the  lodges  ot  the  Nez  Perces  before  me.  I  paused 
for  a  moment,  and  had  no  heart  to  go  on;  but  my  horse 
neighed,  and  I  took  it  as  a  good  sign,  and  suffered  him  to 
gallop  forward.  In  a  little  while  I  was  in  the  midst  of  the 
lodges.  As  I  sat  silent  on  my  horse,  the  people  gathered 
round  me,  and  inquired  whence  I  came.  I  told  my  story.  A 
chief  now  wrapped  his  blanket  close  around  him,  and  bade  mo 
dismount.  I  obeyed.  He  took  my  horse  to  lead  liim  awny. 
My  heart  grew  small  within  me.  I  felt,  on  parting  with  my 
horse,  as  if  my  last  friend  was  gone.  I  had  no  words,  and  my 
eyes  were  dry.  As  he  led  off  my  horse  a  young  brave  stopped 
forward.  'Are  you  a  chief  of  the  people?'  cried  he.  'Do  we 
listen  to  you  in  council,  and  follow  you  in  battle?  Behold!  a 
stranger  flies  to  our  camp  from  the  dogs  of  Blackfeet,  and  asks 
protection.  Let  shame  cover  your  face!  The  stranger  is  a 
woman,  and  alone.  If  she  were  a  warrior,  or  had  a  warrior 
by  her  side,  your  heart  would  not  be  big  enough  to  take  her 
horse.  But  he  is  yours.  By  the  right  of  war  you  may  claim 
him ;  but  look ! ' — his  bow  was  drawn,  and  the  arrow  ready  !— 
'  you  never  shall  cross  his  back  I '  The  arrow  pierced  the  heart 
of  the  horse,  and  he  fell  dead. 

"  An  old  woman  said  she  would  be  my  mother.  She  led  mo 
to  her  lodge;  my  heart  was  thawed  by  her  kindness,  and 
my  eyes  burst  forthwith  tears;  like  the  frozen  fountains  in 
springtime.  She  never  changed;  but  as  the  days  passed 
away,  was  still  a  mother  to  me.  The  people  were  loud  in 
praise  of  the  young  brave,  and  the  chief  was  ashamed.  I 
lived  in  peace. 

"A  party  of  trappers  came  to  the  village,  and  one  of  them 
took  me  for  his  w^if e.  This  is  he.  I  am  very  happy ;  he  treats 
me  with  kindness,  and  I  have  taught  him  the  language  of  my 
people.    As  we  were  travelUng  this  way,  some  of  the  Bla'^V- 


i "« 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


291 


my 


feet  warriors  besot  us,  and  carried  off  the  horsos  of  tho  party. 
We  followed,  and  my  husband  held  a  parley  with  them.  The 
guns  were  laid  down,  and  the  pipe  was  lij^hted ;  but  some  of 
the  white  men  attempted  to  seize  the  horses  by  force,  and 
then  a  battle  began.  The  snow  %vas  deep ;  the  white  men  sank 
into  it  at  every  step ;  but  the  red  men,  with  their  snow-shoos, 
passed  over  the  surface  like  birds,  and  drove  off  many  of  tho 
horses  in  sight  of  their  owners.  "With  those  that  remained  wo 
resumed  our  journey.  At  length  words  took  place  between 
the  leader  of  the  party  and  my  husband.  He  took  away  our 
horses,  which  had  escaped  in  the  battle,  and  turned  us  from 
his  camp.  My  husband  had  one  good  friend  among  the 
trappers.  That  is  he  (pointing  to  the  man  who  had  asked 
assistance  for  them).  Ho  is  a  good  man.  His  lieart  is  big. 
When  he  came  in  from  hunting,  and  found  that  we  had  bo<Mi 
driven  away,  he  gave  up  all  his  wages,  and  followed  us,  that 
Ao,  might  speak  good  words  for  us  to  the  wliite  captain." 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

RENDEZVOUS  AT  WIND  RIVER— CAMPAIGN  OP  MONTERO  AND  RIS 
BRIGADE  IN  THE  CROW  COUNTRY  —  WARS  BETWEEN  THE 
CROWS  AND  BLACKFEET— DEATH  OF  ARAPOOISH— BLACKFEET 
LURKERS—  SAGACITY  OF  THE  HORSE  —  DEPENDENCE  OF  THE 
HUNTER  ON  HIS  HORSE— RETURN  TO  THE  SETTLEMENTS. 

On  the  22d  of  June  Captain  Bonneville  raised  his  camp, 
and  moved  to  the  forks  of  Wind  River;  the  appointed  place  of 
rendezvous.  In  a  few  days  he  was  joined  there  by  tho 
brigade  of  Montero,  which  had  been  sent,  in  the  preceding 
year,  to  beat  up  the  Crow  country,  and  afterward  proceed  to 
the  Arkansas.  Montero  had  followed  tlie  early  part  of  his 
instructions ;  after  trapping  upon  some  of  the  upper  streams, 
he  proceeded  to  Powder  River.  Here  he  fell  in  with  the  Crow 
villages  or  bandS;  who  treated  him  with  iniusual  kindness, 
and  prevailed  upon  him  to  take  up  his  winter  quarters  among 
them. 

The  Crows  at  that  time  were  stm.e,.u:lir>g  almost  for  existence 
with  their  old  enemies,  the  131ackfeet;  who,  in  the  past  jear, 
had  picked  off  the  flower  of  their  warriors  in  various  engage- 


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292 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


I   ! 


ments,  and  among  the  rest,  Arapooish,  the  friend  of  the  white 
men.  That  sagacious  and  magnanimous  chief  had  beheld, 
with  grief,  the  ravages  which  war  was  making  in  his  tribe, 
and  that  it  was  decUning  in  force,  and  must  eventually  be 
destroyed  imless  some  signal  blow  could  be  struck  to  retrieve 
its  fortunes.  In  a  pitched  battle  of  the  two  tribes,  he  made  a 
speech  to  his  warriors,  urging  them  to  set  everything  at 
hazard  in  one  furious  charge ;  which  done,  he  led  the  way  into 
the  thickest  of  the  foe.  He  was  soon  separated  from  his  men, 
and  fell  covered  with  wounds,  but  his  self-devotion  was  not  in 
vain.  The  Blackfeet  were  defeated ;  and  from  that  time  the 
Crows  plucked  up  fresh  heart,  and  were  frequently  successful, 

Montero  had  not  been  long  encamped  among  them,  when  he 
discovered  that  the  Blackfeet  were  hovering  about  the  neigh- 
borhood. One  day  the  hunters  came  galloping  into  the  camp, 
and  proclaimed  that  a  band  of  the  enemy  was  at  hand.  The 
Crows  flew  to  arms,  leaped  on  their  horses,  and  dashed  out  in 
squadrons  in  pursuit.  They  overtook  the  retreating  enemy  in 
the  midst  of  a  plain.  A  desperate  fight  ensued.  The  Crows 
had  the  advantage  of  numbers,  and  of  fighting  on  horseback. 
The  greater  part  of  the  Blackfeet  were  slain ;  the  remnant  took 
shelter  in  a  close  thicket  of  willows,  where  the  horse  could  not 
enter;  whence  they  plied  their  bows  vigorously. 

The  Crows  drew  off  out  of  bow-shot,  and  endeavored,  by 
taunts  and  bravadoes,  to  draw  the  warriors  out  of  their 
retreat.  A  few  of  the  best  mounted  among  them  rode  apart 
from  the  rest.  One  of  their  number  then  advanced  alone,  with 
that  martial  air  and  equestrian  grace  for  which  the  tribe  is 
noted.  When  within  an  arrow's  flight  of  the  thicket,  ho 
loosened  his  rein,  urged  his  horse  to  full  speed,  threw  his  body 
on  the  opposite  side,  so  as  to  hang  by  but  one  leg,  and  present 
no  mark  to  the  foe ;  in  this  way  he  swept  along  in  front  of  the 
thicket,  launching  his  arrows  from  under  the  neck  of  his 
steed.  Then  regaining  his  seat  in  the  saddle,  ho  wheelctl 
round  and  returned  whooping  and  scoffing  to  his  companions, 
who  received  him  with  yells  of  applause. 

Another  and  another  horseman  repeated  tliis  exploit;  but 
the  Blackfeet  were  not  to  be  taunted  out  of  their  safe  shelter. 
The  victors  feared  to  drive  desperate  men  to  extremities,  so 
they  forbore  to  attempt  the  thicket.  Toward  mght  they  gave 
over  the  attack,  and  returned  all-glorious  with  the  scalps  of 
the  sin  in.  Then  came  on  the  usual  feasts  and  trtumplis ;  Hie 
scplp-dance  of  warriors  round  the  ghastly  trophies,  and  dU 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


293 


the  other  fierce  revelry  of  barbarous  warfare.  When  the 
braves  had  finished  with  the  scalps,  they  were,  as  usual,  given 
up  to  the  women  and  cliildren,  and  made  the  objects  of  new 
parades  and  dances.  They  were  then  treasured  up  as  invalu- 
able trophies  and  decorations  by  the  bi'aves  who  had  won 
them. 

It  is  worthy  of  note,  that  the  scalp  of  a  white  man,  either 
through  policy  or  fear,  is  treated  with  more  charity  than  that 
of  an  Indian.  The  warrior  who  won  it  is  entitled  to  his 
triumph  if  he  demands  it.  In  such  case,  the  war  party  alone 
dance  roimd  the  scalp.  It  is  then  taken  down,  and  the  shag- 
ged frontlet  of  a  buffalo  substituted  in  its  place,  and  aban- 
doned to  the  triumphs  and  insults  of  the  million. 

To  avoid  being  involved  in  these  guerillas,  as  well  as  to 
escape  from  the  extremely  social  intercourse  of  the  Crows, 
which  began  to  be  oppressive,  Montero  moved  to  the  distance 
of  several  miles  from  their  camps,  and  there  formed  a  winter 
cantonment  of  huts.  He  now  maintained  a  \rigilant  watch  at 
night.  Their  horses,  which  were  turned  loose  to  gi*aze  during 
the  day,  under  heedful  eyes,  were  brought  in  at  night,  and 
shut  up  in  strong  pens,  built  of  large  logs  of  cotton-wood. 
The  snows,  during  a  portion  of  the  winter,  were  so  deep  that 
the  poor  animals  could  find  but  little  sustenance.  Here  and 
there  a  tuft  ot  grass  would  peer  above  the  snow;  but  they 
were  in  general  driven  to  browse  the  twigs  and  tender 
branches  of  the  trees.  When  they  were  turned  out  in  the 
morning,  the  first  moments  of  freedom  from  the  confinement 
of  the  pen  were  spent  in  frisking  and  gambolling.  This  done, 
they  went  soberly  and  sadly  to  work,  to  glean  their  scanty 
subsistence  for  the  day.  In  the  meantime  the  men  stripped 
the  bark  of  the  cotton-wood  tree  for  the  evening  fodder.  As 
the  poor  horses  would  return  toward  night,  ^rith  sluggish  and 
dispirited  air,  the  moment  they  saw  their  owners  approaching 
them  with  blankets  filled  with  cotton-wood  bark,  their  whole 
demeanor  underwent  a  change.  A  universal  neighing  and 
capering  took  place;  they  would  rush  forward,  smell  to  the 
blankets,  paw  the  earth,  snort,  whinny  and  prance  round 
with  head  and  tail  erect,  until  the  blankets  were  opened,  and 
the  welcome  provender  spread  before  them.  These  evidences 
of  intelligence  and  gladness  were  frequently  recounted  by  the 
trappers  as  proving  the  sagacity  of  the  animal. 

These  veteran   rovers  of  the  mountains  look  upon    their 
hoi*se8  as  in  some  respects  gifted  with  almost  human  intellect. 


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294        ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


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An  old  and  experienced  trapper,  when  mounting  guard  upon 
the  cnnip  in  dark  nights  and  times  of  peril,  gives  heedful 
attention  to  all  the  sounds  and  signs  of  the  horses.  No  enemy 
enters  nor  approachijs  the  camp  without  attracting  their 
notice,  and  their  movements  not  only  give  a  vague  alarm,  but 
it  is  said,  will  even  indicate  to  the  knowing  trapper  the  very 
quarter  whence  the  danger  threatens. 

In  the  daytime,  too,  while  a  hunter  is  engaged  on  the 
prairie,  cutting  up  the  doer  or  buffalo  he  has  slain,  he  depends 
upon  his  faithfid  hoi'se  as  a  sentinel.  The  sagacious  animal 
sees  and  smells  all  round  him,  and  by  his  starting  and  whinny- 
ing, gives  notice  of  the  apj^roach  of  strangers.  There  seems  to 
be  a  dumb  comnumion  and  fellowship,  a  sort  of  fraternal  sym- 
pathy between  the  hunter  and  his  horse.  They  mutually  rely 
upon  each  other  for  company  and  protection ;  and  nothing  is 
more  dillicult,  it  is  said,  than  to  surprise  an  experienced  hun- 
ter on  the  prairie,  while  his  old  and  favorite  steed  is  at  his  side. 

Montero  had  not  long  removed  his  camp  from  the  vicinity  of 
the  Crows,  and  fixed  himself  in  his  new  quarters,  when  the 
Blackfeet  marauders  discovered  his  cantonment,  and  began  to 
haunt  the  vicinity.  He  kept  up  a  vigilant  watch,  however, 
and  foiled  every  attempt  of  the  enemy,  who^  at  length,,  seemed 
to  have  given  up  in  despair,  and  abandoned  the  neighborhood. 
The  trappers  relaxed  their  vigilance,  therefore,  and  one  night, 
after  a  day  of  severe  labor,  no  guards  were  posted,  and  the 
whole  canip  was  soon  asleep.  Toward  midnight,  however,  t-.e 
lightest  sleepers  were  roused  by  the  trampling  of  hoofs;  and, 
giving  the  alarm,  the  whole  party  were  immediately  on  their 
legs  and  hastened  to  the  pens.  The  bars  were  down ;  but  no 
>bnemy  was  to  be  seen  or  heard,  and  the  horses  being  all  found 
hard  by,  it  was  supposed  the  bars  had  been  left  down  through 
negligence.  All  were  once  more  asleep,  when,  in  about  an 
hour  there  was  a  second  alarm,  and  it  was  discovered  that 
several  horses  were  missing.  The  rest  were  mounted,  and  so 
spirited  a  pursuit  took  place,  that  eighteen  of  the  number 
carried  off  were  regained,  and  but  three  remained  in  pos- 
session of  the  enemy.  Traps  foj'  wolves,  had  been  set  about 
the  camp  the  preceding  day.  In  the  morning  it  was  dis- 
covered that  a  Dlackfoot  was  entrapped  by  one  of  them,  but 
had  succeeded  in  dragging  it  off.  His  trail  was  followed  for  a 
long  distance,  which  he  nmst  have  limped  alone.  At  length 
he  appeared  to  have  fallen  in  with  some  of  his  comrades,  who 
had  reheved  him  from  his  pauif ul  incumbrance. 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


295 


These  were  the  leading  incidents  of  Montero's  campaign  in 
the  Crow  country.  The  united  parties  now  celebrated  the  4th 
of  July,  in  rough  hunters'  style,  with  iiearty  C(.)nvi\iality ; 
after  which  Captain  Bonneville  made  his  final  arrangements. 
Leaving  Montero  with  a  brigade  of  trappers  to  open  another 
campaign,  he  put  himself  at  the  head  of  the  residue  of  his 
men,  and  set  off  on  his  return  to  civilized  life.  We  shall  not 
detail  his  journey  along  the  course  of  the  Nebraska,  and  so, 
from  point  to  point  of  the  wilderness,  until  he  and  his  band 
reached  the?  frontier  settlements  on  the  22(}i  of  August. 

Here,  according  to  his  own  account,  his  cavalcade  mighi 
have  been  taken  for  a  procession  of  tatterdemalion  savages ; 
for  the  men  were  ragged  almost  to  nakedness,  and  had  con- 
tracteti  a  wildness  of  aspect  during  three  years  of  wandering 
in  the  wilderness.  A  few  hours  in  a  populous  town,  however, 
produced  a  magical  metamorphosis.  Hats  of  the  most  ample 
brim  and  longest  nap ;  coats  with  buttons  that  shone  like  mir- 
rors, and  pantaloons  of  the  most  ample  plenitude,  took  place 
of  the  well-worn  trapper's  equipments ;  and  the  happy  wearers 
might  be  seen  strolling  about  in  all  directions,  scatterng  their 
silver  like  sailors  just  from  a  cniise. 

The  worthy  captain,  however,  seems  by  no  means  to  have 
shared  the  excitement  of  his  men,  on  *finding  himself  once 
more  in  the  thronged  resorts  of  civilized  life,  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, to  have  looked  back  to  the  wilderness  with  regret. 
"Though  the  prospect,"  says  he,  "of  once  more  tasting  the 
blessings  of  peaceful  society,  and  passing  days  and  nights 
under  the  calm  guardianship  of  the  laws,  was  not  without  its 
attractions ;  yet  to  those  of  us  whose  whole  lives  had  been  spent 
in  the  stirring  excitement  and  perpetual  watchfulness  oi  H/.l- 
ventures  in  the  wilderness,  the  change  was  far  from  promising 
an  increase  of  that  contentment  and  inward  satisfaction  most 
conducive  to  happiness.  He  who.  like  myself,  has  roved  al- 
most from  boyhood  among  the  children  of  th(^  forest,  and  over 
the  unfurrowed  plains  and  rugged  heights  of  the  western 
vvastes,  will  not  be  startled  to  learn,  that  notwithstanding  all 
the  fascinations  of  the  world  on  this  civilized  side  of  the  moun- 
tains, I  would  fain  make  my  bow  to  the  sjilendors  and  gayeties 
oC  the  metropolis,  and  plunge  again  amid  the  hardships  and 
perils  of  the  Avilderness." 

We  have  only  to  add  that  tiie  affairs  of  the  captain  have 
been  satisfactorily  arranged  with  the  War  Department,  and 
that  he  is  actually  in  service  at  Fort  Gibson,  on  our  western 


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296 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


frontier,  where  we  hope  he  may  meet  with  further  oppor- 
tunities of  indulging  his  peculiar  tastes,  and  of  collecting 
gi'aphic  and  characteristic  details  of  the  great  western  wilds 
and  their  motley  inhabitants. 


"We  here  close  our  picturings  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  and 
their  wild  inhabitants,  and  of  the  wild  life  that  prevails  there ; 
which  we  have  been  anxious  to  fix  on  record,  because  we  are 
aware  that  this  singular  state  of  things  is  full  of  mutation, 
and  must  soon  undergo  great  changes,  if  not  entirely  pass 
away.  The  fur  trade  itself,  which  has  given  life  to  all  this 
portraiture,  is  essentially  evanescent.  Rival  parties  of  trap- 
pers soon  exhaust  the  streams,  especially  when  competition 
renders  them  heedless  and  wasteful  of  the  beaver.  The  fur- 
bearing  animals  extinct,  a  complete  change  will  come  over  the 
scene;  the  gay  free  trapper  and  his  steed,  decked  out  in  wild 
array,  and  tinkling  with  bells  and  trinketry ;  the  savage  war 
chief,  plumed  and  painted  and  ever  on  the  prowl ;  the  traders' 
cavalcade,  winding  through  defiles  or  over  naked  plains,  with 
the  stealthy  war  party  lurking  on  its  trail ;  the  buffalo  chase, 
the  hunting  camp,  the  mad  carouse  in  the  midst  of  danger, 
the  night  attack,  the  stampado,  the  scamper,  the  fierce  skir- 
mish among  rocks  and  cliffs — all  this  i-omance  of  savage  life, 
which  yet  exists  among  the  mountains,  will  then  exist  but  in 
Trontier  story,  and  seem  like  the  fictions  of  chivalry  or  fairy 
tale. 

Some  new  system  of  things,  or  rather  some  new  modifica- 
tion, will  succeed  among  the  roving  people  of  this  vast  wilder- 
ness ;  but  just  as  opposite,  perhaps,  to  the  inhabitants  of  civili- 
zation. Tlie  great  Chxppewyan  chain  of  mountains,  and  the 
sandy  and  volcanic  plains  which  extend  on  either  side,  are 
represented  as  incapable  of  cultivation.  The  pasturage  which 
prevails  there  during  a  certain  portion  of  the  year,  soon 
withers  imder  the  aridity  of  the  atmosphere,  and  leaves  noth- 
ing but  dreary  wastes.  An  immense  belt  of  rocky  mountains 
and  volcanic  plains,  several  hundred  miles  in  width,  must  ever 
remain  an  irreclaimable  wilderness,  intervening  between  the 
abodes  of  civilization,  a.d  affording  a  last  refuge  to  the 
Indian.  Here  roving  tribes  of  hunters,  living  in  tents  or 
lodges,  and  following  the  migrations  of  the  game,  may  lead  a 
life  of  savage  independence,  where  there  is  nothing  to  tempt 
the  cupidity  of  the  white  man.    The  amalgamation  of  various 


ADVENTURES  OF  CAPTAIN  BONNEVILLE. 


297 


tribes,  and  of  white  men  of  every  nation,  will  in  time  produce 
hybrid  races  like  the  mountain  Tartars  of  the  Caucasus. 
Possessed  as  they  are  of  immense  droves  of  horses,  should 
they  continue  their  present  predatory  and  warlike  habiti, 
they  may  in  time  become  a  scourge  to  the  civilized  frontiers 
on  either  side  of  the  mountains,  as  they  are  at  i)resent  a  ter- 
ror to  the  traveller  and  trader. 

The  facts  disclosed  in  the  present  work  clearly  manifest  the 
policy  of  establishing  military  posts  and  a  mounted  force  to 
protect  our  tradors  in  their  journeys  across  the  great  western 
wilds,  and  of  pushing  the  outposts  into  the  very  heart  of  the 
singular  wilderness  we  have  laid  open,  so  as  to  maintain  some 
degree  of  sway  over  the  country,  and  to  put  an  end  to  the  kind 
of  "blackmail,"  levied  on  all  occasions  by  the  savage  '  chivahy 
of  the  mountains." 


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APPENDIX. 


1 1 


NATHANIEL  J.  WYETH  AND  THE  TRADE  OF  THE  FAR  WEST. 

Wb  have  brought  Captain  Bonneville  to  the  end  of  his  western  campaigning;  yet 
we  cannot  close  this  work  without  subjoining  some  particulars  concerning  the  for- 
tunes of  his  contemporary,  Mr.  Wyeth ;  anecdotes  of  whose  enterprise  have,  occa- 
sionally,  been  interwoven  in  the  party-colored  web  of  our  narrative.  Wyeth 
effected  his  intention  of  establishing  a  trading  post  on  the  Portneuf,  which  he 
named  Fort  Hall.  Here,  for  the  first  »..ine,  the  American  flag  was  unfurled  to  the 
breeze  that  sweeps  the  great  naked  wastes  of  the  central  wilderness.  Leaving 
twelve  men  here,  with  a  stock  of  goods,  to  tr-ofle  with  the  neighboring  tribes,  he 
prosecuted  his  journey  to  the  Columbia,  where  he  established  another  post,  called 
Fort  Williams,  on  Wappatoo  Island,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wallamut.  TL.'s  was  to  be 
the  head  factory  of  his  company,  whence  thej-^  were  to  carry  on  their  Ashing  and 
trapping  operations,  and  their  trade  with  the  interior,  and  where  they  were  to 
receive  and  dispatch  their  annual  ship. 

The  plan  of  Mr.  Wyeth  appears  to  have  been  well  concerted.  He  had  observed 
that  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company,  the  bands  of  free  trappers,  .is  well  as  the 
Indians  west  of  the  mountains,  depended  for  their  supplies  upon  goods  brought 
from  St.  Louis;  which,  in  consequence  of  the  expenses  and  risks  of  a  long  land  car- 
Viage,  were  furnished  them  at  an  immense  advance  on  first  cost.  He  had  an  idea 
that  they  might  be  much  more  cheaply  supplied  from  the  Pacific  side.  Horses 
would  cost  much  less  on  the  borders  of  the  Columbia  than  at  St.  Louis;  the  trans- 
portation by  land  was  much  shorter,  and  througli  a  country  much  more  safe  from 
the  hostility  of  savage  tribes;  which,  on  the  route  from  and  to  St.  Louis,  annually 
cost  the  lives  of  nianj'  men.  On  this  idea  he  grounded  his  plan.  He  combined  the 
salmon  fishery  with  the  fur  trade.  A  fortified  trading  post  was  to  be  established 
on  the  Columbia,  to  carry  on  a  trade  with  the  natives  for  salmon  and  peltries,  and 
to  fish  and  trap  on  their  own  account.  Once  a  year  a  ship  was  to  come  from  the 
United  States  to  bring  out  goods  for  the  interior  trade,  and  to  take  home  the 
salmon  and  furs  which  had  been  collected.  Part  of  the  goods  thus  brought  out 
were  to  be  dispatched  to  the  mountains  to  supply  the  trapping  companies  and  the 
Indian  tribes,  in  exchange  for  their  furs,  which  were  to  bo  brought  down  to  the 
Columbia,  to  be  sent  home  in  the  next  annual  ship;  and  thus  an  annual  round  was 
to  be  kept  up.  The  profits  on  the  salmon,  it  was  expected,  would  cover  all  the 
expenses  of  the  ship,  so  that  the  goods  brought  out  and  the  furs  carried  home 
would  cost  nothing  as  to  freight. 

His  enterprise  was  prosecuted  with  a  spirit,  intelligence,  and  perseverance  that 
merited  success.  All  the  details  that  we  have  met  with  prove' him  to  be  no  onlinary 
man.  He  appears  to  have  the  mind  to  conceive  and  the  energy  to  execute  exten- 
sive and  striking  plans.  He  had  once  more  reared  the  American  flag  in  the  lost 
domains  of  Astoria;  and  had  he  been  enabled  to  maintain  the  footing  he  had  so 
gallantly  elTected.  he  might  have  regained  tor  his  country  the  opulent  trade  of  the 
Columbia,  of  which  our  statesmen  have  negligently  suffered  us  to  be  dispossessed. 

It  is  needless  to  go  into  a  detail  of  the  variety  of  accidents  and  cross-purposes 
which  caused  the  failure  of  liis  scheme  They  were  such  as  all  undertakings  of  the 
kind.  Involving  combined  operations  by  sea  and  land,  are  liable  to.  What  he  most 
wanted  was  sufficient  capital  to  enable  him  to  endure  incipient  obstacles  and 
losses,  and  to  hold  on  untU  success  had  time  to  spring  up  from  the  midst  of  dis- 
astrous experiments. 


APPENDIX. 


299 


It  is  with  extreme  repret  we  leam  that  he  has  recently  been  compelled  to  dispose 
of  his  establishment  at  Wappatoo  Island  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  who,  it  is 
but  justice  to  say,  have,  according  to  his  own  account,  treated  him  throughout  the 
whole  of  his  enterprise  with  great  fairness,  friendship,  and  liberality.  That  com- 
pany, therefore,  still  maintal-'s  an  unrivalled  sway  over  the  whole  country  washed 
by  the  Columbia  and  its  tributaries.  It  has,  in  fact,  as  far  as  its  chartered  powers 
permit,  followed  out  the  spltindid  scheme  contemplated  by  Mr.  Astor  when  he 
founded  his  establishment  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia.  From  their  emporium  of 
Vancouver,  companies  are  sent  forth  in  every  direction,  to  supply  the  interior 
posts,  to  trade  with  the  natives  and  to  trap  upon  the  various  streams.  These 
thread  the  rivers,  traverse  the  plains,  penetrate  to  the  heart  of  the  moi  iains, 
extend  their  enterprises  northward  to  the  Russian  possessions,  and  southward  to 
the  confines  of  California.  Their  yearly  supplies  are  received  bj-  sea  at  Vancouver, 
and  thence  their  furs  and  peltries  are  shipped  to  London.  The\-  likewise  maintain 
a  considerable  commerce  in  wheat  and  lumber  with  the  Pacific  islands,  and  to  the 
porth  with  the  Russian  settlements. 

Though  the  company,  by  treaty,  have  a  right  to  participation  only  in  the  trade  of 
these  regions,  and  are  in  fact  but  tenants  on  sufferance,  yet  have  they  quietly 
availfd  themselves  of  the  original  oversight  and  subsequent  supineness  of  the 
A.merican  government,  to  estjvblish  a  monopoly  of  the  trade  ot  the  river  anrl  its 
dependencies,  and  are  adroitly  proceeding  to  fortify  themselves  in  their  usurpa- 
tion, by  securing  all  the  strong  points  of  the  country. 

Fort  George,  originally  Astoria,  which  was  abandoned  on  the  removal  of  the 
main  factory  to  Vancouver,  was  renewed  in  1S.30.  and  is  now  kept  up  as  a  fortified 
post  and  trading  house.  All  the  places  accessible  to  shipping  have  been  taken  pos- 
session of,  and  posts  recently  established  at  them  by  the  company. 

The  great  capital  of  this  association,  their  long  established  sj-stem,  their  heredi- 
tary influence  over  the  Indian  tribes,  their  internal  organization,  which  makes 
everything  go  on  with  the  regularity  of  a  machine,  and  the  low  wages  of  their 
people,  who  are  mostly  Canadians,  give  them  great  advantages  over  the  American 
traders;  nor  is  it  likely  the  latter  will  ever  be  able  to  maintain  any  footing  in  the 
land  until  the  question  of  territorial  right  is  adjusted  between  the  two  countries. 
The  sooner  that  takes  place  the  better.  It  Ls  a  question  too  serious  to  national 
pride,  if  not  to  national  interest,  to  be  slurred  over,  and  every  year  is  adding  to  the 
difficulties  which  environ  it. 

The  fur  trade,  which  is  now  the  main  object  of  enterprise  west  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  forms  but  a  part  of  the  real  resources  of  the  country.  Beside  the 
aalmon  fishery  of  the  Columbia,  which  is  capable  of  being  rendered  a  considerable 
source  of  profit,  the  great  valleys  of  the  lower  country,  below  the  elevated  volcanic 
plateau,  are  calculated  to  give  sustenance  to  countle.ss  flocks  and  herds,  and  to 
sustain  a  great  population  of  graziers  and  agriculturists. 

Such,  for  instance,  is  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Wallamut,  from  which  the  estab- 
lishment at  Vancouver  draws  most  of  its  supplies.  Here  the  company  holds  mills 
and  farms,  and  has  provided  for  some  of  its  superannuated  officers  and  servants. 
This  valley,  above  the  falls,  is  about  fifty  miles  wide,  and  extends  a  great  distance 
to  the  south.  The  climate  is  mild,  being  sheltered  by  lateral  rang(>s  of  mountains, 
while  the  soil,  for  richness,  has  been  equalled  to  the  best  of  the  Missouri  lands. 
The  valley  of  the  river  Des  Chutes  is  also  admirably  calculated  for  a  great  grazing 
country  All  the  best  horses  used  by  the  company  for  the  mountains  are  raised 
there.  The  valley  is  of  such  happy  temperature  that  grass  grOws  there  throughout 
the  year,  and  cattle  may  be  left  out  to  pasture  during  the  winter.  These  valleys 
must  form  the  grand  points  of  commencement  of  the  future  settlement  of  the 
country;  but  there  must  be  many  such  enfolded  in  the  embracesofthe.se  lower 
ranges  of  mountains  which,  though  at  present  they  lie  waste  ami  uninhabited,  and 
to  ^he  eye  of  the  trader  and  trapper  present  but  barren  wastes,  would,  in  the  hands 
of  skilful  agriculturists  and  husbandmen,  soon  assume  a  different  aspect,  and  teem 
with  waving  crops  or  be  covered  with  flocks  and  herds. 


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APPENDIX. 


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Tho  resources  of  the  country,  too,  while  in  the  hands  of  a  company  restricted  in 
its  trade,  can  be  but  partially  called  forth,  but  in  the  hands  of  Americans,  enjoying 
a  direct  trade  with  the  East  Indies,  would  be  brought  into  quickening  activity,  and 
might  soon  realize  the  dream  of  Mr.  Astor,  in  giving  rise  to  a  flourishing  commer' 
cial  empire. 

WRECK  Of  A  JAPANESE  JUNK  ON  THE  NORTHWEST  CX)AST. 

The  following  extract  of  a  letter  which  we  received  lately  from  Mr.  Wyeth  may 
be  interesting  as  throwing  some  light  upon  the  question  as  to  the  manner  in  whi(^ 
1  America  has  been  peopled: 

"Are  you  aware  of  tho  fact  that  in  the  winter  of  1833  a  Japanese  junk  was 
wrecked  on  the  northwest  coast,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Queen  Charlotte's  Island, 
and  that  all  Imt  two  of  the  crew,  then  much  reduced  bj'  starvation  and  disease,  dur- 
ing a  long  drift  across  the  Pacific,  were  killed  by  the  natives?  The  two  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and  were  sent  to  Englandi  I  saw  them,  on 
my  arrival  at  Vancouver,  in  1834." 


INSTRUCTIONS  TO  CAPTAIN   BONNEVILLE  PROM  THE  MAJOR-GENERAL 
COMMANDING  THE  ARMY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


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Hbad-Quarters  of  thb  Arht, 

Washtnoton,  August  8,  1831. 

Sir:  The  leave  of  absence  which  you  have  asked,  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  you 
to  carry  into  execution  your  design  of  exploring  the  country  to  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains and  beyond,  with  a  view  of  ascertaining  the  nature  aid  character  of  the 
several  tribes  of  Indians  inhabiting  those  regions;  the  trade  which  might  be  profi- 
tably carried  on  with  them ;  the  quality  of  the  soil,  the  productions,  the  minerals, 
the  natural  history,  the  climate,  the  geography  and  topography,  as  well  as  geology, 
of  the  various  parts  of  the  country  within  the  limits  of  the  territories  belonging  to 
the  United  States,  between  our  frontier  and  the  Pacific— has  been  duly  considered 
and  submitted  to  the  War  Department  for  approval,  and  has  been  sanctioned. 
You  are,  therefore,  authorized  to  be  absent  from  the  army  xmtil  October,  1833.  It 
is  understood  that  the  government  is  to  be  at  no  expense  in  reference  to  your  pro- 
posed expedition,  it  having  originated  with  yourself;  and  all  that  you  required  was 
the  permission  from  the  proper  authority  to  undertake  the  enterprise.  You  wilU 
naturally,  in  preparing  yourself  for  the  expedition,  provide  suitable  instnunents, 
and  especially  the  best  maps  of  the  interior  to  be  found. 

It  is  desirable,  besides  what  is  enumerated  as  the  object  of  your  enterprise,  that 
you  note  particularly  the  number  of  warriors  that  may  be  in  each  tribe  or  nation 
that  you  may  meet  with ;  their  alliances  with  other  tribes,  and  their  relative  position 
as  to  a  state  of  peace  or  war,  and  whether  their  friendly  or  warlike  dispositions 
toward  each  other  are  reoent  or  of  long  standing.  You  will  gratify  us  by  describ- 
ing their  manner  of  making  war;  of  the  mode  of  subsisting  themselves  during  a 
state  of  war,  and  a  state  of  peace ;  their  arms,  and  the  effect  of  them ;  whether  they 
act  on  foot  or  on  horseback ;  detailing  the  discipline  and  mancBuvres  of  the  war 
parties;  the  power  of  their  horses,  size,  and  general  description;  in  short,  every 
information  which  you  may  conceive  would  be  useful  to  the  government. 

You  will  avail  yourself  of  every  opportunity  of  informing  us  of  your  position  and 
progress,  and,  at  the  expiration  of  your  leave  of  absence,  will  join  your  propet 
•tation.  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir, 

Your  ob't  servant, 

Alexander  Macomb, 
Major-Oeneral,  commanding  the  Arm^ 

Capt.  B.  L.  E.  BONNEVILLB, 

7th  Reg't  of  Infantry,  New  York. 


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